Godless Sound
by YourHead
Summary: After the death of Lily Loud, many eldritch occurrences befall upon the Loud House. Lincoln decides to investigate each of these mysteries, each one of them seemingly related to the death of the youngest sibling. This is an interactive story that is "played" in the /trash/ board at 4chan in the /tlhg/ thread. What is posted here is each finished chapter. Go there at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1: The Youngest Siblings

Godless Sound

A Loud House Interactive Story

CHAPTER ONE: The Youngest Siblings

It has been three months since Lily's death. A little girl, just days before her seventh birthday, disappeared from school, just to be found lifeless, almost like she was just sleeping, tucked into bed. The family was still crushed, without any good explanation as to how this happened. Everyone at the house blamed the doctors, the school's teachers and principal, the neighbors, each other. But after Lucy's attempt at reuniting with her little sister, they learned that finding someone to blame wouldn't get her back. Whether they liked it or not, they needed to stay united, be strong, and find acceptance.

However, the family would not get a moment's respite.

Lisa has gone missing.

She refused to sleep in the same room she once shared with Lily, preferring to stay in the room that once belonged to the eldest sisters. But then she got strangely captivated by it. She started to move everything from her own room back to Lily's. She would stay all day and night long doing her studies, even skipping her job at college, scrapping the research she was previously doing with colleagues. She became a shut-in. She'd be barely seen by anyone, and the few times Lisa would step out the room, it was to feed. She looked weird at best and crazed at worst. She rambled about "readings" and "traces" of something beyond anyone else's comprehension. Her experiments were always on the weird side, but this time, it was too much. And now she was nowhere to be found.

It was a mystery, but it couldn't go unsolved.

.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

It was hard to everyone in the family to deal with death. But to you, it felt even more terrible. You were the big brother, the one who's supposed to protect your younger siblings. And you failed. You saw her dead, into her bed. And she looked so peaceful as well, still sleeping, as lying inside the casket...

But now you couldn't let it happen again. Lisa was missing, but this time, you wouldn't let the events unfold without getting into them.

It's Saturday morning. Pretty much the only reason you noticed she wasn't around was because of your childhood custom to watch cartoons, and ever since Lily's death, you started to check on your sisters every morning. You told the other sisters, and although they looked concerned, none of them seemed to know anything.

Of all your sisters, the only ones that still live in the house are Lynn, Lucy, Lola and Lana, and of course, the disappeared genius. The other older sisters went to live in their own lives, and after the funeral, you haven't seen any of them much. You doubt they'd know about Lisa at all. Lily's room was suspiciously empty, and Lisa's room didn't have a trace of her. Only filled to the brim with stacks of books, paper sheets, chalkboards with complicated equations and mad ramblings.

There were few options. It's either to delve into the many writings of Lisa's disturbed mind or trying to elaborate a narrative with whatever your sisters could say. Maybe you'll need to do both since you don't want to let your sisters alone.

Both mom and dad went to work, so they still don't know about it. It's better not to worry them without being sure of Lisa's disappearance. Calling the cops would lead to the same trouble: if you managed to find Lisa soon by yourself, then a call would be useless.

INSPECT LISA'S ROOM

You decide to enter Lisa's room. The closest clues should be there.

It's weird to see so much stuff lying around. Lisa moved pretty much everything she had back to Lily's room, but now it's empty, and this one filled to the brim with scientific documents and gizmos. It's hard to walk around without kicking a book or an empty beaker. It's useless to try to decipher whatever is written on the chalkboards, and the same applies to the many papers and books. Some were even in French or German, and you are just enough literate in English to comprehend anything else. However, there is one thing you could read: Lisa's investigation diary. You find it at her computer's desk. A little notebook, many pages tore apart, except for three. You start to read the first one.

"October 26, 20XX, 15:24: There has been no further progress. The readings just vanished. I was so close to finding their origin. I really f-"

"Wow, Lisa, really?" You think to yourself at reading her swearing.

"-hate this. Maybe if it wasn't for the constant meddling of my family. They shouldn't be worried about me. But they do worry, and it annoys me to no end. Maybe it's my fault too. I trusted too much my own judgment. I should have been more cautious in taking those samples. Whatever I did there, it could have caused a retreat. I need to sleep".

A retreat? Samples? Whatever samples she was talking about there, they weren't in the room.

"October 27, 20XX, 22:19: I shouldn't have messed with those samples. I'm not sure what will happen now, but I need to keep it contained. I can't keep it here. I can't let my family get hurt. God, please, don't let them get hurt".

You don't know what to think about it. Nervously, you turn to the last page, only to see...

"PLEASE DON'T MAKE THEM PAY FOR MY MISTAKES PLEASE DON'T MAKE THEM PAY FOR MY MISTAKES PLEASE DON'T MAKE THEM PAY FOR MY MISTAKES PLEASE DON'T"

The whole page is filled with the same rambling, over and over. You notice it written on the desk itself, even, like she didn't stop until she ran out of space.

Although there's still no trace of her current whereabouts, at least you kind of know now why she isn't at home. However, this isn't making you feel any better. If anything, you are even more worried now and remaining calm is getting harder and harder.

Uneasy, you leave the room and don't look back.

There are still things unresolved.

Your sisters could probably lead you to any other clues.

TALK TO SISTERS

After informing your sisters about Lisa's disappearance, you convinced them to go to their rooms and try to relax. You felt it was better if they were secure in their rooms. You wouldn't let them get hurt this time. You go to ask your sisters about Lisa. Anything they might know could help to piece something together to explain her disappearance.

LOLA AND LANA

You go into Lola's and Lana's room. They're the only ones that still share their room. Before Lily's demise, Lisa and Lily shared theirs, and the twins were in different ones. However, after the tragedy, they didn't feel well by being separate. They slept a lot better together, knowing their twin was just a few steps by, to hug and feel close, feel safe.

Each girl is lying over their beds. Lana is playing with Izzy the Second, while Lola checks her phone.

"Hey Linc," both said in unison when they see you enter the room.

"Hey. Girls, we need to talk" You say straight to them.

Lola takes a seat at the edge of her bed, putting the phone to the side. Lana puts Izzy back into her cage.

"What's up?" Lana asks, just after sitting on her own bed.

"I know you don't really know about wherever Lisa went, but I want you to remember what you two have seen of her in these past days. Anything can be useful to find her".

Both sighed, and Lola took the first word.

"The last time I even saw Lisa was three days ago, at night. We stumbled at the bathroom's door. I got scared when I was touching the door's handle when I felt her hand on my shoulder. She asked who I am. She couldn't recognize me, for some reason, even though I take so much care in looking well and unique, even half-asleep!"

"Lola, please"

"Sorry Linc..." She clears her throat and then continues her story. "Well, I told her it was me. She then... Hugged me".

"Hugged you?"

"It was like she was lost. She didn't look good, like she didn't sleep for many nights. After she hugged me, I let her go to the bathroom. She went, did her business and left without looking at me again like she was ashamed. I didn't put much attention on this incident... But now that I look back..."

She's looking a little down now. You pat her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

"How about you, Lana? Did you see her during the week or anything?"

"I did, now that I remember. When Lola and I came back from school before yesterday. I saw her walking from Lily's room to hers and back, and forth... She carried a lot of stuff to one side and the other. I asked her what was going on, and when she heard me, she squealed and dropped a little box. I was about to pick it up for her, but she just threw herself over it and grabbed it. She told me something like it wasn't my business, and then she apologized for being so rude. I didn't really mind, she has been acting strange for a few weeks anyways. I wasn't going to hold it against her at this point".

"Did you notice anything special in that box?"

"Not really. It was metallic, I guess? And it had some weird locks. She carried it from Lily's room to hers, and just after that, she locked herself in there".

"What else she carried around?"

"I dunno... Stuff? You know, those weird science thingies she has. A lot of gadgets and whatnot. Also, lots of books and stacks of paper, a metric ton".

You don't know what to make of this yet. Maybe it's better to inquiry further.

"Well, thanks for your help girls. Be safe".

"We'll be, Lincoln" You hear them say, as you leave the room.

Who's next?

LUCY

No one in the family was sure to let Lucy still be by herself after her "incident". Lynn tried to convince her to sleep together at least for a while, like in old times, but she refused. Lucy said she wouldn't burden her sisters or brother with her troubles, which they were for her alone to endure.

You enter her room and see her reading a small book. The cover reads: "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".

"Hey Lucy, are you OK?" You ask, carefully. Lately, everyone walks on eggshells when talking to her.

"As much as I can be" she stoically answers. "What do you need, brother?"

"Well, I wanted to talk about Lisa, if you don't mind".

"No reason not to. Come in". She puts a marker between the pages and sits at the edge of the bed. You go and sit beside her.

"So, have you seen her these days?".

"Not really. I believe I heard her while I was trying to sleep, two nights ago. I heard her talking to herself, walking around the hallway, but I couldn't make much of her incessant rigmarole. Something about traces, and Lily".

"She mentioned Lily?" You ask, surprised.

"Yes. She was rambling about tracing her, or something like that. Honestly, I don't want to know what she's up to. I sense she's delving too deep into things she shouldn't mess with... And that's saying something, knowing her experiments".

You stay silent for a while. This revelation sounded very heavy. If Lisa was still around, you might not have given it much thought, but given the circumstances, this didn't look good.

You hear Lucy sigh.

"What's wrong?" You ask, breaking out of your trance.

"I'm jealous of her".

"Of who?"

"Lisa. Although I do feel she's going into things we shouldn't trifle with... I can't help but feel jealous..."

"Why do you say so?"

"They were close, before... You know... In life. And now, even in death, they're the closest any of us were with her..."

You see a lone tear run down her cheek.

"I wish I got to know Lily better".

You go silent again, and only manage to hug your sister with one arm, while she puts her head over your shoulder. Both of you stay like that for a minute, but you have more to look for. Certainly, whatever Lisa was doing, it wasn't good. You stand up and walk outside Lucy's room, but not without talking to her once more.

"Be safe, Lucy".

"You too, dear brother".

Who's next?

LYNN

Lynn was most of the days off. Between going to the gym, playing on the soccer team and practicing her martial arts, she didn't spend much time in the house. Because of this, she seemed to be the less affected by Lily's departure. She was sad, of course, and cried, like everyone else. However, she didn't show much more emotions other than apathy from then on. You guessed everyone dealt with it as they could.

You enter the room cautiously, looking out for flying tennis balls. However, Lynn was just playing with one while lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

"Sup" she stoically says, while pressing the ball with both of her hands.

"Hey" You answer back, entering the room. "So, listen, I want to talk about Lisa. I want to find her, and I know you are not at home much, but if you ever saw her anytime recently, it'd be a lot of help".

Lynn stays silent for a while, bouncing the ball up and down, throwing it to the ceiling but not quite reaching it. Her expression was plain.

"I did see her" She finally says, catching the ball. "I was coming back home late on Tuesday and went to the kitchen to get some water. I saw her doing the same. She looked dirty, mud stains over her clothes. I'm guessing she got caught in the slight rain outside. She didn't notice my presence until I said hi. She almost jumped out of the scare I gave her, and she turned around. She was relieved to see me. She sighed and raised her hand. She looked tired. I didn't really ask her what was going on. I'm not sure if I want to know what she's up to, so I let her be. She took a glass of water, drank it and left".

Mud? What could she be doing outside? That was a weird revelation. And happened just four days ago. Maybe inquiring further would help connect everything.

Lynn starts to play with the ball again, staring at the ceiling. You don't really know how to talk to her anymore. She has been so focused on her own stuff, it seems to you she shut down everyone else out of her life.

You decide to leave, but just as you get to the door's knob, you hear Lynn sighs.

"You know I DO care, right?"

You turn back. She was sitting now, looking at you. Her expression was kind of serious still, but she really looked concerned now.

"I know I don't talk that much and avoid you guys. I know, but..."

"It's OK, Lynn" You interrupt her, "We're all dealing the way we can".

"Just like you, sending us to our rooms, asking us questions and keeping us away from all of this, right?".

You don't really have anything to say back. She's right. It was your way to cope.

"I'm not mad at you or anything. I understand why you're doing it..." She stands up and gets closer to you, "I felt useless when Lily... I thought I could do the same you're trying now, now that I'm the oldest here. But I couldn't do anything, and if I was like Lori, maybe I could actually act on things, I don't..."

She goes silent, looking at the ground. You try to reach to her, she really seems to need a hug. She hugs you first, though, pressing her face on you. You pat her back, somewhat startled. She holds onto you hard. You feel your shoulder getting wet.

"Thanks, Linc".

She lets you go, covering her eyes with her forearm, and she walks back to her bed.

"Sorry," she mutters, as she sits on the edge of the bed.

"It's OK. Be safe, Lynn" you reply, as you take your leave.

"You too".

ALL SISTERS QUESTIONED

With all the info you got from your sisters, you can at least understand what has been going on with Lisa. She wasn't right in the head before, but now it actually seems like something bad. She might be going too far. It's even more necessary for you to find her now.

You feel a little stuck. This is a lot of info to process. And you pretty much exhausted all obvious possibilities. Lisa just wasn't home. You could ask for help now, or still, try to go as far as you could by yourself.

LINC'S ROOM

You decide to take a break and go back to your own room. You needed time to process all the new information. What could you do to piece these things? Are they connected in some way? Or maybe you need to investigate further?

Maybe there was something you could remember yourself, a final piece. What can you remember?

ANSWERS

Vents were already checked. Everything that's inside the house has been searched to death. Attic, the hallways, the basement, even under the house itself.

However, the bunker was still a mystery.

Lisa's bunker was mostly dismantled. After Luan moved out to try her luck as a comedian, it kind of lost its purpose. Lisa still used it a couple of times to not blow up the house, or the room. However, by the time she started to need materials for other experiments, and the college would not lend her much more money, she started to break the bunker apart and use its parts. Right now, it was mostly just a tunnel that leads to a cave. You kind of remember Lisa going to that small cave a couple of times again, some weeks ago. Maybe she was keeping some other things there?

BUNKER

Using your phone as a flashlight, you go deep into the cave. It was pretty small, since it was made only to take refuge during Luan's "pranks", and it was made quite a long time ago. Lisa is around 10 years old now, so she didn't need too much space still, but you are already a grown teen, and you had to keep your head low to move. You look at the small cave. It was around half as big as your room, and your room was already small. You didn't see anything notable inside at first. Books that, for you, would be a waste of time to even try to read, beakers and scientific tools, rusty and broken...

But there's one thing that catches your attention.

Other pages from the torn diary.

They were busted and barely readable. You try to read all you can.

"October - 20XX: -Lana- – No. They can't know".

"- 19 20XX - OK, so there're the readings. She's here. She's with-"

"Oct – - - Samples have been secured. There was a very weird reaction, like – - Lynn saw me, but she has her mind- She prob- I hope not. I do- they can't know. They could ruin it".

"Oct- 23 20XX: I d—believe I could do that. People really need money sometimes, don't- - I could retrieve- I ho- Bring –- - Miss you".

"I need to go back. I did something very bad. I'm sorry, Lily".

There might be an order to these? You couldn't tell much about them, but maybe you could piece them together...

PARENTS CALL

.

Your current endeavor is interrupted by your phone ringing. Seems like mom is calling from her job. It hits you then: You didn't call her, or dad. You got too immersed in your own thing. Well, at some point you were going to call them, right?

Will you answer the call?

YES, talk with mom

NO, continue your investigation.

YES, TALK

"Hello? Lincoln! Thank God. Where are you? Lynn called me, she told me about Lisa. I asked about you too but she didn't know, she told me you went out or something".

PLAYER'S DIALOG: "I'm fine, mom. Jesus, what has you so worked up? I'm just out in the back."

"Well what do you think has me worked up?! Look, I don't know what are you doing in the backyard, but I want you at home when your dad and I come back. Nobody's leaving the house until we get there, got it?"

PLAYER'S DIALOG: "Uh, alright. I'll see you both when you get here."

You're tense right now and having your mom just as hysterical -if not more-, it wasn't helping you to feel any better.

You close the phone. There wasn't anything else remarkable beyond the notes. You take them with you. They're one more piece of this puzzle.

BACK HOME

It's better to not be too far. Mom and Dad could come anytime soon. However, you still need to get something more. You know the police won't help. They didn't do anything about Lily. The doctors couldn't figure anything out. It was a case gone cold, with a lot of inconclusive information everywhere. That wouldn't happen again.

You go back to your room. It's better to think in your own space.

You consider you went as far as you could by yourself without going too far away from home. You had a new lead.

"October - 20XX: -Lana- – No. They can't know".

"- 19 20XX - OK, so there're the readings. She's here. She's with-"

"Oct – - - Samples have been secured. There was a very weird reaction, like – - Lynn saw me, but she has her mind- She prob- I hope not. I do- they can't know. They could ruin it".

"Oct- 23 20XX: I d—believe I could do that. People really need money sometimes, don't- - I could retriev- I ho- Bring –- - Miss you".

"I need to go back. I did something very bad. I'm sorry, Lily".

Most of the text was blurred due to the contact with mud and moistness. There were some other stains, between brown and red.

There are few options. You could examine them further by yourself with whatever you had at hand, or ask for help from a friend.

You could also disobey your mother and go outside, maybe search farther away. But you don't know when your parents will come back.

CALL FRIEND

Two minds think better than one.

You look at your contacts in your phone. Pretty much everyone you still have there are either your close family or emergency numbers. Being so isolated as you have been lately, there were few people you could call a "friend".

Right now, you only have two options: Clyde or Ronnie Anne. You haven't talked much with them lately, ever since your youngest sister's death. But this time, you need someone.

Who will you call?

CLYDE

He seems to be busy. He isn't picking up. Although clearly, you wouldn't blame him if he didn't pick up at all. After Lily's tragedy, you became a shut-in for a couple of weeks, and even when you started going back to school, you avoided everyone, including Clyde. You knew he was your best friend from childhood, and never stopped being so until Lily's death. But after that, you felt worried about everything, like you shouldn't involve anyone else in your family, or your own life. You pushed him off your life. He didn't make any attempts to get back to you after two months. Maybe he figured out you didn't want to be his friend anymore. Maybe it was your fault.

Wait, he picked up.

"Linc? Is it you?"

"Crap" You think to yourself. "Yes, it's me. Did I interrupt anything?" You answer back, trying to get your talkative mood up.

"Don't worry man, I wasn't doing anything important. What's up? It's been a while!"

PLAYER'S ANSWER: "Clyde, I am sorry for shutting you out for all this time. And sorry if this sounds needy, but I need your help badly. Lisa is missing and I need help to find her. I found these Letters and I need help to decipher them, they might be important".

The line goes silent for a while.

"Oh..."

It's all he manages to mutter at first. But soon he talks again.

"Look, Linc, I'm happy to help, and I'm glad you called me. It's been a while and all, but I'm still your friend...

PLAYER'S ANSWER: "Can you come over real quick?".

"But... I kind of have a problem. I had an accident at school, and I'm stuck at home with a broken leg. The cast is recent so I can't leave until a couple of days. If you need me to read something, you could send me pictures. Maybe I can do something on the computer".

PLAYER'S ACTION: Take the notes into the kitchen. Take pictures, send to Clyde.

Just as you go to the kitchen and prepare the notes to take pictures, you notice something in the last one.

Was that blood? Did Lisa get hurt?

You almost forget what you were doing, but take the pictures anyways and send them to Clyde.

PLAYER'S ANSWER: "I can't make heads or tails of this. Do you have any idea? And Clyde... thank you."

It takes a while before he answers back.

"Here they are. OK, wait a second while I put them into my laptop. Maybe if I change the contrast in the photo-editor I can make it more readable".

You hear some shuffling around.

"OK, I'll work on these pictures right now. So, anything you know about this whole ordeal, aside from these pictures?"

PLAYER ACTION: tell Clyde about what the sister´s told you but nothing related to lily

There's something in your head telling you to not let every detail out. Maybe it's better. Unloading all your burdens over your friend wasn't a great way to repair a broken friendship.

You leave out everything that's related to Lily. If anything, you can play fool if something about it is revealed in the messages.

"Hmm... I see... I'm sorry Linc. I wish I could do more to help you".

"OK, I'm done with the pictures. I'll send them back to you in an instant. They're a lot more readable now, but there's not much more I can do".

Just as he finishes that sentence, you hear a car parking. Maybe mom or dad got back.

You hear somebody coming up the stairs. Last time you checked, everyone was still in their rooms. Including you, of course.

"Hello, Linc? Are you still there?".

PLAYER'S ACTION: thank Clyde for help, tell him will hang out later.

You answer back and give your thanks to him. He's been a good friend, but there's a lot to deal with.

"Oh, OK. I guess this situation has your hands full. It's OK, I can understand. I hope I could be of help".

You hang up, just as you see Mom approaching your door.

PLAYER'S ACTION: fold notes, tuck into pocket.

PLAYER'S ACTION: roll sleight of hand, ensure notes are hidden.

PLAYER'S ACTION: greet parents as they enter.

Mom has a very sharp eye, because, even though you took good care of not being very visible, she saw you spying out. You tuck the notes in your pocket, and your phone as well. Probably she didn't notice anything.

You open the door to come greet her, but before you say anything, she hugs you, firmly. She was very, very tense, and you could tell by the way she held you. You hug her back, trying to comfort her. If you were nervous, you could barely imagine how much of a train wreck she's feeling right now.

"Thank god you're OK", she says, not letting you go. "Are all your other sisters here as well?".

"Yes, they're in their rooms. We decided to stay up here for now. Is dad coming soon?"

"Yeah, he went to the police station first. He was enraged. I'm hoping he doesn't punch anyone this time..."

You remember Dad doing so three months ago. It wasn't pretty. The judge was very understanding to the family's plight, so nothing really happened out of it, but both the cop and he looked like crap for a while.

Mom stops hugging you and tells you she'll check on your sisters before deciding on what to do next.

CLARIFIED NOTES:

You feel your phone buzz. It was a notification. The pictures are here. Time to read the notes.

You look at the pictures Clyde sent you. They read a lot better this time. Maybe you can discover new clues.

"October 27 20XX: -Lana almost got her hands-fingers-. Nobody else can see these. Or touch them. It's not safe, I already did enough damage to myself- I need to go back, but they can't. - – No. They can't know".

"- 19 20XX -I could see weird- traces of- OK, so there're the readings. She's here. She's with us. Lily, I'm close now.-"

"October – 20XX - Samples have been secured. There was a very weird reaction, like one of the samples got warm with me touching it directly. I'm not sure what this means, except maybe, there's still -in this world- Lynn saw me, but she has her mind somewhere else- She probably didn't notice my han- I hope not. I don't want them to know-they can't know. They could ruin it".

"Oct- 23 20XX: I d—believe I could do that. People really need money sometimes, don't- - I could retrieve a sample from her. As long as...- – – gra-v-per will not talk. I hope my coworkers never learn how I used part of the funds-. I might need to go back at some point, but I-. I ho- Bring –- - Lily, I miss you".

"I need to go back. I did something very bad. I'm sorry, Lily".

PLAYER'S WORK: BUNKER NOTES IN ORDER

"October 19 20XX -I could see weird- traces of- OK, so there're the readings. She's here. She's with us. Lily, I'm close now.-"

"October – 20XX - Samples have been secured. There was a very weird reaction, like one of the samples got warm with me touching it directly. I'm not sure what this means, except maybe, there's still purpose in this world- Lynn saw me, but she has her mind somewhere else- She probably didn't notice my hands I hope not. I don't want them to know-they can't know. They could ruin it".

"Oct- 23 20XX: I d—believe I could do that. People really need money sometimes, don't- - I could retrieve a sample from her. As long as...The gravekeeper will not talk. I hope my coworkers never learn how I used part of the funds-. I might need to go back at some point, but I-. I hope to Bring back Lily, I miss you".

"October 27 20XX: -Lana almost got her hands-fingers-. Nobody else can see these. Or touch them. It's not safe, I already did enough damage to myself- I need to go back, but they can't...- – No. They can't know".

"I need to go back. I did something very bad. I'm sorry, Lily".

There are many thoughts in your mind. None of them good. But maybe you could find Lisa with all you've got.

MYSTERY SOLVED

"Oh god, Lisa..." Goes through your mind. And at some point, you thought about it, and you just didn't want your thoughts to believe so. But the truth was unavoidable.

It's done. You know where Lisa should be.

The graveyard.

You need to get out of the house. Before anybody gets a trace about her. Whatever she was doing, was not only dangerous to herself. The police could get involved, at some point. And if you managed to find out that much, the police wouldn't take much longer.

You walk around and see mom talking on the phone. You hear her mention Lori and Leni. Maybe she's talking to your older sisters. You haven't talked with them in a long while. They've been on their own. Last time you knew, Lori was trying to have a child with Bobby. Leni was living with some of her friends as roommates, but you're not sure what she has been up to: if she's working, or studying, or anything. Both Luna and Luan were together, trying to break through as artists, each in their own field. You haven't known if that dream has come true. Maybe soon you could talk with them.

Mom's not looking at your direction. She's very concentrated on her conversation. You could take this as an opportunity to leave unnoticed, or try to ask for permission from her to leave.

ESCAPE

"I'm sorry, mom" You whisper to yourself, as you sneak out.

PLAYER'S CHOICE: perhaps he can borrow Lynn's bike

You go to the garage and get Lynn's old bike. It's a little busted since Lynn has taken preference in running everywhere she needs to go, maybe to avoid being at home.

GRAVEYARD

You're here at last. You're tired. Using your phone and asking some random people around, you got the directions.

You only have been to this place twice. First, the funeral. The second time just a family visit one month after. You don't know if it was only you or the whole family just didn't feel well by going there, so there wasn't another visit.

By now you already know Lisa should be around here, or at least her trace. She could be a genius, but she's out of her mind. She's been careless and scared. She needed help, and the only one who could give it is you.

"Don't worry, Lisa" You think to yourself "Your big brother won't fail this time".

Lily's tomb was the obvious way. You already knew Lisa has been tinkering with her. You're not sure what exactly is going on, or maybe you didn't want your thoughts to be real. You ask the personnel to know where to go. Either way seems like nobody knew what's happening. Either that or, going by the notes, they were playing dumb. It doesn't matter now. You need to find Lisa.

Walking around, you feel the cold of the place surrounding you. Like the world giving you the warning to go back. But you couldn't. You wouldn't let Lisa do more damage to herself.

This is it. Lily's tombstone.

The ground has been moved around since last time you were here. Your mind feels so clear now, and the image of your little sister's grave popped up in front of your eyes. There should be grass in front of her, and lilies planted over.

There are blood stains on the tombstone. Lisa was close.

THE YOUNGEST SIBLINGS

The graveyard was a big place, and a lot of people has paid for big mausoleums, to hold many generations, to keep many loved ones resting in peace. Sometimes the thought crossed your head, which your family would all be in one. Thirteen coffins, each close to one another, like the big and loving family you were.

But Lily's death happened, and suddenly the family wasn't as happy as before. You wondered if it was not real, maybe you were never happy, everyone was keeping their anger bottled, and your little sister's departure made everyone burst. Your older sisters left, Lynn avoids you and everyone in the family; Lucy tried to kill herself and you had to stop her a few times again as well; Lola and Lana feel scared all the time, they fear to lose each other. Lisa was a mental wreck, and doing things beyond anyone's good judgment.

And you...

You couldn't have been more of a recluse. Your mind has been every day wondering; what did go wrong? What did break your family? How did Lily die? How did she end up in her own bed, laying like she was just sleeping a nap, and not for the rest of eternity?

There were too many questions you never managed to answer, and you needed them. Your family needed them.

You needed the happy family again.

You follow the blood marks all around until you get to a big mausoleum. You didn't check the name, you just entered. Something was going on here.

You hear someone crying. A constant wailing, somebody muttering "I'm sorry" over and over. A lisp in a little girl's voice.

"Lisa?"

You see a shadow on the wall. It was too dark. You pull out your phone and turn on the flashlight.

There she was...

And Lily.

You almost drop the phone, as you saw Lisa holding tightly Lily's corpse. She was missing a finger and bleeding profusely. "When the hell did that happen?" you whisper, not sure if Lisa could even hear you over her incessant crying.

And Lily's corpse... Is she a corpse? Is she dead? She looks like not one day has passed since you saw her descend six feet under. She's very pale, and unmoving, like a porcelain doll. Very delicate, very uncanny.

You couldn't believe your eyes. You don't know what even to say. There were too many questions, more than before.

You fall on your knees, dropping the phone.

It doesn't matter now. You found Lisa. She's OK now. You'll take her out of here. Her big brother would help her. You, Lincoln Loud, would keep her safe.

"I'm here, Lisa. I will protect you".

Lisa has been found.

There are still mysteries unresolved.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

'bthnk


	2. Chapter 2: Cry Little Sister

Godless Sound

A Loud House Interactive Story

CHAPTER TWO: Cry Little Sister

The Loud family had many secrets between each other, hidden from the light of truth, caged inside each of their minds. Many broke loose with the loss of the youngest sibling, and the family fragmented. The four eldest sisters splintered from the clan, deciding it wasn't worth to keep the charade anymore. Their life in the old nest was over. The fifth eldest and below kept their secrets locked, throwing more chains over them, pretending nothing was wrong, and their life could follow the course. But one of the Loud children had too many chains over her truths, and she was being strangled by them. This made her vulnerable, susceptible to dark influences that were looming in the house.

And soon, the troubled spectre would haunt her.

Lucy hasn't been the same ever since Lily's death. She was always gloomy, brooding, but never completely hopeless and melancholic. Mom and dad had the suspicions of depression, and her suicide attempt certainly confirmed it. After the trip to the ER, she got diagnosed. The therapy-only treatment wasn't working well, but the psychiatrist was afraid of giving her any medications for several reasons he didn't delve in. The situation has been worsening ever since Thursday. She's been acting very strange. Waking up in the middle of the night, screaming, and then bursting into tears. She was skipping school again, as she did the first few weeks after her sister's death. Some days she'd be around the house, just standing anywhere, looking at nothing, motionless and emotionless. She'd wake up outside the house, with no memories of ever leaving her bed. Some would chalk it up to sleepwalking if it wasn't because some of these episodes happened in the middle of the day. There was something wrong going on with her. It was a mystery, but it couldn't go unsolved.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

You helped Lisa to cover her tracks at the graveyard, but her severed finger had to be attended at the hospital. Even though she seemed to help herself by cauterizing and bandaging, the whole thing was pretty messed up. Bone splinters were still there in the wound, and loose skin that had to be removed, a lot of dirt got in between, not to mention it needed stitches. It was a miracle Lisa knew the right people at college who would help her out in the whole process. Being only ten years old –even though anyone who talks with her without looking would think she's thirty years older–, the medical procedure would have been calling the parents and doing a whole lot of asking and answering, and risk a lot in the way. Nobody wanted more problems right now.

Both of you went directly back home. You tried to question her about... Everything. Your mind was, to say the least, confused. "Why did you dig up Lily?", "Why were you hugging her corpse?", "What kind of experiments where you doing?", "How did you lose your finger?", "What in all hell is going on with you?". There was no response for anything. She just hugged you all the way, silent, as you rode the bike with her. When you got home, mom, dad and a cop were right outside, talking. When mom and dad saw you, they stopped and ran to both of you and hugged you. You got scolded a while later for leaving without any notice, but it was hard for them to be THAT mad at you after bringing their little genius back. However, the whole ordeal made your parents take a decision: Everybody should be at home before eight until things calmed down, Lisa could not be alone anymore during the nights, and they would check everyone's room before going to bed. Luckily, school was closed during Monday because of some remodelation thing, so you didn't have many reasons to get out. Plus, with everyone in the house, it'd be easier for you to inquiry further on the current events. Specially Lisa. You really needed answers from her.

It's Sunday night. You moved to Lisa's room since you were assigned as her guardian for the first few days. Mom and dad did their rounds already. It's only you two in the room now. Lisa is organizing the many books she had lying around everywhere, putting them on their shelves. You managed to read the cover of one of them. "Theory of Ex-Corpus Manifestations and The Tracking of Ethereal Bodies, by M. J. Curwen". That sounds so far from factual science that it's almost crazy Lisa could be reading it. However, nothing felt crazy anymore. Whatever territory you're treading into, it will probably be far from the grounds of sanity.

She's ignoring you as hard as she could. She avoids looking at your general direction, making her movement a little awkward when grabbing some books and gadgets to shelf them that were close to your feet. She tries to grab one of her science gizmos with her left hand, but she drops it almost instantly, and lets out a muffled whimper. Seems like her wound is stinging. You stand up from the bed you were laying on to help her out, and grab the weird machine. You didn't really understand the thing, besides having a screen with a beep or whatever. She tries to take it from your hands, but her short stature doesn't let her.

"I'll help you at getting this place in order again if you just answer my questions", You say, checking if you can negotiate some information.

She seems to react somewhat angrily, but she seems too tired to express that in anything else than mild annoyance. She tries once more to reach it, but you react by raising the gadget even higher. She lets out a long sigh and goes to sit on the edge of the bed.

"OK, I'll do it, since you're so adamant in uncovering every little secret this house keeps. But you won't like even one bit of what I've been working on".

You were already sure about that, so you didn't mind. You have been preparing yourself to learn some ugly truths whenever Lisa would decide to talk.

"However", She says, raising her left hand with all fingers extended "I'll only let you ask me four questions".

"Why?" You ask, in disbelief. "And don't count that as a question".

"I know you have many doubts, brother" She starts to explain, "About all the things I've done, and why... But I'm not ready to tell you everything yet. I don't know what you'll think of me after I answer..." She then starts looking at the ground, as her voice goes quiet. "And I don't want you to hate me".

"Oh, Lisa", you say, getting close to her as you grab a chair to sit in front of her. "I'd never hate you. Maybe you've done wrong things, but I trust you haven't done them in bad spirit".

"Hell's road is built on good intentions, Lincoln". Lisa says, in a mix of angst and anger, as she looks up to you, directly to your eyes. "The things I've done have gone farther than anyone in their senses, but I had to throw my sanity away for..." She sighs again, as her visage falls down to the floor again. "I'm not sure if there's a God, but if there is, I'm sure He's not pleased with my actions".

You both remain silent for a while. You couldn't really say much about her reaction. Maybe she's right, maybe not. She breaks the ice some moments later.

"Well, I'm waiting for your questions. You have four".

There are many questions in your head, and you're not sure which is more important. Better think carefully.

CHOOSE (PICK BY NUMBER):

1\. What were you doing in the cemetery yesterday, hugging Lily's corpse?

2\. Have you been doing any kind of experiments on the rest of us, without us noticing?

3\. Did your experiments have anything to do with Lily's... You know...?

4\. What kind of trouble would you be in if any of this gets out?

5\. What kind of experiments have you been working on, exactly?

6\. I read some of your diary notes. What kind of "mistakes" you did that you fear for us?

7\. Why did you have to keep us away from all of this?

8\. (FREE QUESTION: Players can ask a question themselves. If I find it good and other players support it, it will be asked)

QUESTIONS PICKED:

5, 6, 8 (And whatever that is, you think it's dangerous? Can we... defend ourselves if it is?), 1

QUESTION 5

"After a long research about ex-corpus manifestations, I decided to put some of the theory in practice. It sounds like total bull—" She stops herself right there, knowing it isn't very proper of a ten-year-old to curse around. "—Like pure made-up conjectures, similar to those 'ghost-hunting' shows on TV. But once I managed to do some reliable research and create testing items, I could prove to my own eyes how real the theory is. I decided to try some of that theory with Lily. I have seen some weird occurrences happening in our home, mostly in Lily's room, but I never tried to attribute them to 'ghosts', or anything like that. Until I decided to scan the room, that is. I found some presence there. It fitted well with the theory, so I decided to go further. I wanted to bring Lily's ethereal presence closer to our plane of existence, to communicate with her. I prefer not to bore you with the theory of it since you'd most certainly never understand it... No offense".

"None taken. Carry on".

"Anyways, to grossly simplify the whole process: I needed two samples to act as emitter and receptor for the ex-corpus communication. One of those samples had to be from the physical vessel of the subject, the other from a material that had her ethereal trace. One of those samples was extracted directly from her. The other, since the best option was something from a living organism the subject had some spiritual attachment to..."

She stops there, to show you her wounded, bandaged hand, raising it to the height of your face. She quickly retracts, with a pained expression. The wound is stinging again.

"I could have done it with any part of anyone in the family, or with any of our pets, maybe…" She continues, caressing her hand. "But I couldn't bring myself to do any damage to you. I had to do it myself. I was going to be the only one responsible for this experiment... I really miss her. I wanted to talk to her, at least one more time. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, how much our whole family loved her..."

QUESTION 6

She fiddles her fingers, as she looks down. She's nervous.

"I... I discovered something, not only Lily's presence. There is something else in this house. Something nobody would want close. I don't know how it got here, since when I first detected Lily's manifestations, there wasn't a trace of anything else. However, after she disappeared, another thing took place..."

She stays silent for a while. Seems like she didn't know how to continue. She scratches her head and inhales deeply to calm herself down a bit. Then, she proceeds.

"There are many types of ethereal manifestations categorized, but the clearest distinctions are two. One of them are the manifestations linked to previously living beings, wandering souls. From this category is where ex-corpus manifestations come from, such as Lily's presence I've been studying. The other kind is not linked to any previously living being, or to life at all. That kind of manifestation is malleable and impossible to completely track down. These ethereal bodies aren't inherently bad, or good. But in this case, if my research and readings are to be trusted, we're not safe".

She swallows, caressing her throat with her right hand.

"I fear that my tinkering has triggered its surge. Maybe I accidentally tore a hole in between the different planes that allowed it to come here, maybe it just appeared at the notice of my antics. I haven't studied enough to know for sure yet. But I know this might not be good for us".

She looks up to you, with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry for this, Lincoln".

QUESTION 8

"I'm not entirely sure of how dangerous can it be since I haven't been able to study it. 'Spectres', as they're called, don't tend to have definite patterns or show deliberate actions. However, this one has a strong presence, enough to be noticeable at all, and that, in itself, worries me".

"We shouldn't be too fearful, but we MUST be cautious. As I said, there's no real "good" or "bad" with this kind of ethereal bodies, but their actions can have consequences, and they don't tend to be good. Spectres, usually, are agents of chaos: there's no sense to what they do most of the time. This is dangerous enough, as it's hard to see what will come from them.

Going by the few readings I managed to get from it and how our house has been lately... I'm sure we'll see those consequences sooner than later".

"As to how to defend ourselves... Well, I'm... Working on it. Handling ethereal bodies is already hard because of the lack of theory, so most of what I've done already in my experiments is already new theory for this field. Either way, caution is our best weapon for now. Be on the lookout for anything strange occurring".

QUESTION 1

"I only had some vague readings confirming her presence, but no way to talk to her... I dug her grave, cut my own finger, but then her readings disappeared... In my unrested mind, I thought going there, talking to her earthly remainings... I didn't know what to do anymore. I lost my sanity, and I'm still getting it back".

She remains silent for a while, looking at her feet.

"I was close to Lily" she mutters, eyes nailed on the floor. "She was never a great source of conversation, she didn't understand half of what I did, or what I talked about... But she liked to be with me... And I liked to be with her".

Lisa lifts her vision to meet your eyes. Her eyes are watery behind the glasses.

"I tutored many of our siblings, right? But I loved it when the time to help her out in preschool came. I played with her, taught her things... She wasn't the smartest learner out there, but I didn't really care. Because, everyone, at every time, treated me like an adult. But with her, I was a kid again. It was wondrous".

You see Lisa's eyes glimmer, as she slightly smiles, looking to the window, reminiscing.

"Everyone expected of me to be a great genius, to make huge discoveries, to bear the responsibilities of adulthood at my young age... But with Lily, I was just another child that painted with her fingers, did collages with safety scissors and glue, sang silly songs about the alphabet and played with colorful toys. Everyone had that. Not me. But I had Lily, and she didn't expect from me to be smart, to do her homework, to care for the house bills. She just wanted me to be a friend, to play with her and to have fun".

She looks down once again. Her voice turns frail, almost inaudible, as the grip on the sheets tightens once more.

"She's the closest I've been to anyone in this family, and I lost her..."

She tries to hold a tear, and before it left her eye, she wiped it with the sleeve of her lab coat.

You hug Lisa to calm her down. Even though she looked better than when you found her hidden in the shadows of the mausoleum, confessing so much took more than just a part of her mind, but also her heart. Sometimes, you wondered how a little girl like her could withstand so much pressure, so much stress, and so many repressed feelings.

ATTACK

You're interrupted by something that chilled your bones and made you jump in alert.

Someone's screaming.

You stand up fast, trying to localize from where that came from. You hear people struggling, and you hear Lynn, who's shouting "Get off me!". What is happening?

"Wait here." You tell Lisa, as you go through the door to check up on Lynn. You see her following you but stops right before crossing the door's frame. By the edge of your vision, you also see Lola and Lana peeking out, somewhat scared. They ask each other what's going on, as they see you enter Lynn's room.

You're horrified at the sight of Lucy in her long, white nightgown holding a kitchen knife, trying to stab Lynn, who had Lucy grabbed by both wrists, trying to force her out of her reach. Lynn is very strong, but she was struggling to keep Lucy off her. You never knew your goth sister for having any kind of physical prowess. Something else was off too; your gloomy sister's voice was a deep growl, almost beast-like. Something very wrong is going on.

You must act. Will you try to tackle Lucy and pin her to the ground, or to grab Lynn and pull her out of harm's way, and deal with Lucy from there? Or risk it with a more direct approach and get in the middle of the fight?

CHOOSE:

Tackle Lucy and pin her down

Pull Lynn out and deal with Lucy then

Get in the middle and separate them

CHOSEN: Tackle Lucy and pin her down

"Sorry Lucy" you whisper, mostly to yourself, as you take some impulse and tackle her, effectively throwing her down.

You couldn't avoid her throwing a wild slash in the air that bites Lynn's face, which makes her flinch and scream. You saw it happening. It was upsetting, but you couldn't let your emotions cloud your judgment now.

After that, you manage to slap the knife out of her hand, as you use your weight to finally keep her pinned on the ground. Lucy struggles and tries to push you off her, to no avail. It's hard to fight her, though. She moves wildly and strongly, like a rabid animal. She grunts and snores, and it even seems like she's trying to bite. You catch a glimpse of her eyes; they looked feral, angry, and vicious. What's wrong with her?

You're about to lose your grip on her. She's just too strong for some reason. You're sure that you weigh more than your little and frail gloomy sister, but she's a beast now. Luckily, Lynn finally reacts after doing a quick check-up on her, sees you two fighting, and helps you in keeping Lucy down.

"Calm down, goddammit!" Lynn shouts, like trying to dominate a beast.

Lucy has been finally pinned down by both of you and disarmed. Lynn brings her hand back to her wounded face, touching the cut. It's like she didn't notice it until now. You see her face change from that stoic facade she's been keeping to genuine anger.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Lynn exclaims, trying to keep Lucy down, just as you.

Lucy just growls and screams, but she starts calming down soon after. When you notice Lucy wasn't fighting back anymore, you get off of her, standing up. You check Lynn's cut. It was through her right cheek. The cut doesn't look very deep, but it wasn't anything superficial either, and it's bleeding profusely. You hope it won't need a trip to the hospital.

Mom and dad enter the room just after Lynn let Lucy out. She's laying on the ground, still, as Lynn and you meet your parent's eyes. Mom brings her hands to her mouth, trying to stop her scream of horror

"Oh god, Lynn! Are you OK?" she exclaims, as she approaches her to examine the wound.

"Lola, Lana, bring the first aid kit" dad order to the twins, who were peaking from the door's frame. After that, he grabs Lucy, making her sit on the bed. "What happened here, kids?" He asks to all of you.

LYNN HURT

"Lucy finally lost it, that's what happened!" Lynn protests, angrily, as mom tried to clean the blood of her face with a cloth piece of her own sleeping gown "She came here with a knife and attacked me for no reason!"

"Is that true, Lucy?" Dad asks to her, trying to contain any reaction. He could see Lucy affected, her watery eyes covered by her long black hair.

She doesn't respond. She has her head down, only her breath is audible. She seems to be whimpering.

"Of course it's true!" Lynn protests once again, almost screaming, holding the cloth piece mom gave her on the cheek, "She's been acting like a nuthouse patient for days, and she finally snapped!".

"Lynn, calm down, don't make the situation worse by screaming," Mom tells her, even though she isn't in the best mood to calm anyone down.

You hear Lucy starting to cry. Her voice is normal now, in that meek and raspy tone she has, not the deep baritone growl you heard while fighting her.

"No! I'm tired of this!" She keeps ranting, "This whole damn house has been going mad for weeks and I can't take it anymore!"

Just after she says that, she moans out of the pain of the wound. She takes a seat on a small bench she uses for exercise, as she holds the now blood-soaked cloth on her face. She seems enormously tired, and not only for the recent fight.

"Lynn, we'll have to go to the hospital" mom finally says, "We can't risk it".

Lola and Lana come back with the first-aid kit, and while mom prepares some bandages, dad goes with Lucy back to her room, trying to calm her down. She really looked affected, and to say Lynn is hysterical is an understatement. You ask if mom needs help, but she tells you it's better for you to go back to Lisa's room, they'll handle it from here. As you leave the room, you see Lola and Lana going back to their rooms, but still peeking from the frame.

"It's over, girls", you tell them, as you get into Lisa's room. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow it's 'trick or treat' time. You don't want to miss it, right?".

LYNN GOES TO THE HOSPITAL

You see mom and dad leave in the car through the window, with Lynn haphazardly patched up. You heard from Lisa's room how mom asked for more bandages, that they weren't anywhere. You could almost sense Lisa's discomfort without even looking at her from your seat. Whenever she cut her own finger off, she might have used half of the kit.

Once you lost track of the family's vehicle, you turned to Lisa. She's sitting on the bed, already in her pajamas, reading something on her laptop. Maybe she could help to confirm certain conjectures you had now.

"I guess you heard what happened". You tell her, sitting beside her.

She seems calm. She was pretty upset before your talk and after the fight between Lucy and Lynn, but now she looks less tense and collected.

"Yes, I heard your kerfuffle and discussions", she responds, keeping her eyes on the laptop's screen. "And I think you're having suspicions about Lucy's behavior, am I correct?"

"Yeah. Do you think it has anything to do with all these weird presences you were talking about?".

"It's one of my theories. I've been too distracted to have observed our somber sister's patterns during these days, but going by what our parents and our other siblings have said, her recent actions can be justified in two ways…"

"She's either completely losing it…" You start.

"...Or she's under the influence of an ethereal presence", she finishes your sentence, closing her computer, and sighing. "I am not sure which option I prefer".

"I'm not an expert on any sciences", you say to Lisa, scratching the back of your neck, "but this doesn't look to me as Lucy getting crazier. During that fight, she was very strong. Stronger than me, even than Lynn. And her voice, her eyes…"

"Physical changes certainly don't fit in the field of psychology" Lisa affirms, cleaning her glasses with her sleeve.

There was no need to say anything else. Both of you knew what's going on. You stand up, trying to calm down, walk around the room. This isn't something you could fix easily. How could you help your sister in something so outside of your reach?

"What can we do to get that thing off her?" You ask Lisa.

"For tonight? Leave it be".

"Are you sure?" You ask, worried. "Don't you think she may attack somebody again, or do something else?"

"It's not a farfetched possibility, I have to admit" Lisa answers to you, taking off her glasses and putting them on her night table, and leaving the laptop on the floor, under the bed.

"What then? We'll risk it anyways?"

"Lincoln, I learned two very important things after losing my mind in insane theories and sleep deprivation. One, you can't control every single thing. And second, you shouldn't sacrifice yourself for what-ifs".

You raise your view to her. She's serious.

"You haven't slept well in many days, I can tell", she says, pointing to her own eyes, signaling your own eye bags. "I understand you wanting to protect our family, but you can't if you're out of shape".

You still are not sure about this. You put your hand over your chin, getting into a more thoughtful mood. It still worries you what could happen.

"If anything happens, we'll know" Lisa assures you, as she gets under the sheets. "Lynn and Lucy's rooms are right in front of this one".

You think about it, still doubtful. Finally, you decide to do one last thing. You open the room's door. Having a quick route out would help you sleep more comfortably. You see Lisa shrug, as she gets a little more comfortable in the sheets.

"Turn the lights off too", she tells you, yawning.

You do so, as you get closer to the bed. Lisa seems to notice just now that there isn't another bed or mattress for you, she looks at you, and her eyes half closed, kind of annoyed.

"Don't we have another mattress you could use for your nightly rest?" She protests.

"I got lazy, didn't bring it" You explain, as you change into your own PJs. "Either way, you use like a quarter of the bed. There's plenty of space".

She just sighs, as she moves closer to the wall's side, leaving more space for you.

"I hope you don't snore or move involuntarily. I have slept around ten hours in the whole week".

"Sure, sure…"

You finish getting into your night attire and walk cautiously to the bed. Only the light of the hallway is illuminating the room, and as soon as the trip to the hospital was over,

"Sleep well, Lisa" You whisper to her, as you get more comfortable, into the bed.

"You too, Lincoln. I'd say you need it more than I".

NEXT DAY: HALLOWEEN

You woke up around like three times during the night. Nothing happened, but your worries kept you on edge. You still feel well rested, though, or at least better than other mornings. Maybe it was your mattress being too stiff to blame for your bad nights, or maybe not sleeping alone helped. You notice Lisa, at some point, hugged you during the night, and is still grabbing you tightly. You don't know how to take her off you since you want to dress and check on your other sisters, especially Lynn and Lucy. Thankfully, school is closed for today. You'd have time to talk with them and inquiry further in current events.

After much struggling, you manage to slip off Lisa's grip without waking her up and get dressed. She automatically latched onto a pillow, still trying to have something to feel close to.

It's 9 AM. Not too late, really. That's good, you'd be able to keep an eye on most of your family's routine, notice anything weird before anything goes wrong.

You wash your teeth, check on everyone's doors. Lynn is still there in her room, trying to exercise with her own things. Probably mom and dad wouldn't let her go out today with her wound. Lucy has her door locked, probably to avoid Lynn, or you. Or maybe the whole family. It's better not to bother her yet.

Lola and Lana aren't in their room, but you heard their voices down the stairs. Probably they're having breakfast or something. You head down the stairs, saying hi to your pets, checking if everything else is in order. You hear people talk in the kitchen, not only the twins. An adult voice, but none of your parents, who were probably at work. Who could it be?

As you approach the kitchen you hear the conversation more clearly. You're sure you've heard that voice before, but it has been a long while from the last time.

"Aren't you getting old for trick or treating, girls?" Says the adult voice, in a little mocking, but caring tone.

"You're never too old for candies, I say!" You hear from Lana.

"And excuses to dress like a princess are running out for me" You hear from Lola. "I'll take any opportunity".

You almost forgot it's Halloween today. Somewhat fitting for all the strange occurrences in your home.

"Well, don't eat too many candies. I still remember you two running literally everywhere when you were on a sugar rush".

Yup, it's her.

As you enter the room, you see your eldest sister, Lori, helping both Lana and Lola in making cardboard crowns and helmets, as the twins painted different motifs on them.

"Oh, Lincoln!" She exclaims, smiling, as her visage turns to you. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has". You reply, returning the smile and raising your hand to say hi. "Good to see you. What brings you here?"

"Well, mom called literally everyone in her contact list when Lisa went missing", she started to explain, gesticulating a lot with her hands. You see a bit of glue from Lori's tools land on one of the twins' face. "All of us were worried, but we couldn't help much. However, I managed to at least come and help on keeping an eye on the house while our parents work".

"I see". You say as you walk to the fridge to get something to eat. "Good to have you back".

"It's good to be back" She responds, smiling to you, as she gets back to help the twins with their costumes.

While you make yourself a PB&J sandwich, you think on what will be your itinerary. It's quite early still, for a free day, so you had some time before getting into the investigative business.

You could talk a little bit more with Lori since it's been a while you haven't seen her. Maybe she knew more about your older sisters, who you haven't seen as well.

You could check on Lynn, see if she's in the mood to talk. Maybe you could inquire further on the fight last night. You doubt you could say anything to Lucy, with her locked door and all, but it's still a possibility.

You could also call either Clyde or Ronnie Anne. You can't really talk to them much about the weird happenings, but you could at least have a talk to unwind. Clyde might be somewhat curious about the messages you sent him on Saturday. As for Ronnie Anne… Well, she might try to contact you either way. If Lori's here, maybe Bobby went to his family's home as well. Talking about Lori would eventually lead to you… Unless she didn't care about you anymore. Maybe.

Or you could wing it for a while. Watch TV, check the internet, whatever. As long as you didn't go further than the backyard or the garage, it'd be OK.

Lisa needed more time to sleep, so you'll probably talk with her once you do some other things first.

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LORI

CALL FRIEND (CLYDE or RONNIE ANNE)

TALK WITH LUCY

TALK WITH LYNN

TALK WITH TWINS

FREE ROAM: INSERT COMMAND

CHOSEN: TALK WITH LORI

LORI'S CONVERSATION

Might as well catch up with your old sis. You haven't heard much from her for a long while already. Around three months, maybe.

"So, hey, Lori…"

"Yeah?"

INSERT DIALOG: [_]

DIALOG GIVEN: How have you been?

"Ah, well, you know, busy. Between working and moving our stuff to the apartment Bobby and I bought, it has been wild this last month. I wanted to be here again but didn't find much time. Thankfully, my boss was understanding enough to let me come to visit. Seems like our family has many things going on, don't we?".

DIALOG GIVEN: "Have you talked to any of our sisters in these past months?"

"Sadly, I haven't talked much with Luna or Luan. I might know as much as you do about them. Last I knew about that pair is that they're renting something together, trying their luck as artists. Don't know much else".

"I have talked to Leni, however. We talked last week through the phone. She's alright, being the goofy nice girl she's always been. She actually crashed a while with us at our apartment, but she and my..."

Lori stops a bit there, like trying to choose her words carefully.

"Well, Bobby and I needed our own space, so I helped her to move out with some of her friends. I think she has been working on part-time jobs and crashing on friends' places and whatnot for a while already, so I also suggested her to take at least some courses in community college. She still has her clothing design hobby, but she seems to not do much with that talent. Hopefully, now that she's on a more independent road, she might do something with it".

DIALOG GIVEN: Have you heard of what happened yesterday with Lucy, what do you think?

"Mom told me last night. I worry for her, really. Well, for both. Lucy has us all worried, for obvious reasons, but Lynn... She seems to have a lot bottled up inside her. Mom told me she literally burst out with such anger after the knife injury... She has some issues too, and I worry she might be close to the same path Lucy is currently walking on".

DIALOG GIVEN: "Hate to ask you this, but it's important, do you perhaps remember any weird conversations with Lily before she... you know?"

She reacts a little bit weirded out, and gives a look to the twins. They just shrug, as they continue their crafting. They do look a little bothered, but not as much as Lori does. Maybe they're already used to your inquisitiveness.

"Should we really talk about this? I know you've been on an 'investigation' of sorts. Mom and dad told me how you went on your own search for answers when Lisa went missing. We've discussed this subject a lot as well..."

She sighs again and stands up she whispers to you.

"If you really need to talk, could we do it a little more privately, at least? I don't want to bother our sisters with such a heavy talk".

"Sure" You whisper back and go talk to the living room.

Once you're there, she sighs once again, as she passes her hand across her face, trying to calm herself a little.

"Look, honestly, I don't want to talk about this", she says. "I know, it has been three months already, and all... Maybe I should have moved on already... But let's be honest, nobody in our family has truly moved on from it. And you seem to have a strong case of that".

You remain silent, as you look away. Maybe she's right, maybe not, but you were sure you needed all you could know about her. Something happened from there on that triggered so many things.

"Now, addressing your question... Well, I don't remember talking with her the day she passed away. I saw her going to school, I don't remember if she went with you, or with Lynn, or who else..."

You try to remember as well. Weirdly enough, you couldn't remember as well. That whole day was a blur. Maybe every memory got eclipsed by the grief.

"Either way, she was as happy as any day, excited to go to meet her friends... I still wonder what happened in that summer class".

CONVERSATION ENDED

NEXT ACTION: TALK WITH RONNIE ANNE

Calling a friend can always help.

You listen to the phone's tone. She still isn't responding. You're not sure how to break that three-months-long silence you've kept with her. After the tragedy, you cut contact with her, as you did with Clyde. It could be said she's a friend, or not. You're not sure. Your relationship with her has been, for years, a constant tug-o-war between deciding if you liked each other or not. The fact you avoided any human contact for a while doesn't help either. Might she be over you? Or not? You're not sure yourself if you're over her. Since Lori and Bobby were around, you felt she'd either try to contact you soon or you'd have to talk with her at some point. It's better if you start now, right?

"Hello?"

Startled again, by being too focused on your own thoughts.

"Hi, Ronnie Anne, um…"

"Lincoln? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, it's me. How have you been?"

"Uh, fine, I guess…"

She seems to be as startled as you. Maybe she wasn't expecting you to call at all.

"So… What's up? We haven't talked much since… You know…"

"Yeah, I know. Well, so…"

INSERT DIALOG

DIALOG GIVEN: "Are you alright?"

"Uhm... Yes? I mean, sure, sure. I'm just startled, is all. We haven't talked in a while, so unless... Ah, I guess your sister wanted to talk to Bobby, right? He's here, so I could pass the phone to him or..."

DIALOG GIVEN (modified): "No, no, I just wanted to talk".

"Oh, I see. Well, there's not much to say. I've been doing regular at school, as usual. I must say, I have missed messing with you. I've talked a little with Clyde, to see if he knew about you, but he didn't know much either. Have you talked with him?".

"Yeah, I talked to him a couple of days ago. I'm sorry for shutting you two off".

"...I guess it's OK. I know what happened to your family. I kind of missed the opportunity to give condolences now...? But probably you don't want to talk about that".

"It's OK".

DIALOG GIVEN (modified): "So hey, you know, since our siblings came here and all, would you mind to meet and catch up?"

She sounds a little flustered. Maybe another unexpected proposition?

"Uhm... S-sure! I mean... Sure, why not. It'd be good to have some contact again. When, though? Tomorrow we have class, so I don't know..."

"Well, could be today, or tomorrow after school..."

"I'd have to think about it. I'll call you back in a while, OK?"

"OK".

"'K, then. See ya later, then".

She hangs up.

You feel a little relieved now. Just talking with somebody that isn't your currently disjointed family helps a little bit. It also feels good to know there's no real resentment or at least any she expressed.

You talked to Clyde a couple of days ago, and now with Ronnie Anne. It's good to know you still have a couple of friends after shutting off so many people.

TALK TO LUCY

It's time to continue your investigation right away. Lucy should be up already, so you wouldn't be interrupting anything.

She might not be in the best mood to talk, having attacked her own sister with a knife. Especially if people got injured. However, you knew it wasn't her intention, as weird as it may sound. There are some things that required an explanation, and you will dig the answers out. If you act in an understanding manner with her, it should work out.

You knock on her door. It's closed, but soon Lucy herself opens it a bit.

"Hey", you say. "Are you OK?"

"I don't know", she answers in her usual tone.

"Right... so hey, do you mind if I come in? I want to talk with you about some stuff".

She doesn't say anything else, and just stands there. You couldn't see her eyes under her long, dark hair, so you can't really read her mood right now. If anything, she's as gloomy as she's always been. That might be good.

She doesn't open the door, however. She stays behind it, looking at you from there.

"I won't avoid talking with you, but I don't want you to disturb my place".

"That's... OK, I guess" You say, scratching the back of your neck.

"What do you need to talk about, brother?"

INSERT DIALOG

CHOSEN DIALOG: This may sound weird but I think yesterday wasn't really your fault. I trust you, Lucy, I trust you enough to never hurt Lynn intentionally, not like that.

She just remains silent for a while. She inhales deeply and sighs, maybe trying to get some words out.

"I appreciate it. I know what our family thinks of me right now. I don't blame them... I'm broken, I can't help it".

CHOSEN DIALOG: Do you remember anything... during or perhaps before the fight. Do you remember seeing or feeling anything strange?

"I... I remember some things... My mind is not in a great shape, full of mirages, delusions of poisonous shadows, lurking... I remember waking up and walking to the kitchen, my feet moving me, not sure where I was going. A voice said to me 'Lynn is guilty' over and over. 'Lynn is guilty, Lynn is evil. Lynn did bad things, she must be purged'. Many assertions, some even described the deed in gruesome detail... 'Over and over, until blood gushed'. 'Bloodthirsty wolf, trying to feast'. I don't know what it meant, but I heard it. I tried to stop myself, I didn't want to do it, but my body didn't listen to my own words, only to those. I fought back, I tried to make my hand drop the knife. And then... I don't remember anything. There's a muddy pond where my memories should be. The last thing I can recall is dad hugging me, Lynn burning in hatred and our little sisters with a confused face".

The last words she spoke go almost like a whisper. She isn't feeling well, it seems.

"I'm sure it's not your fault, somehow, Lucy. I know something else is happening. I'll help you, OK?".

She nods slightly and sniffs a little. Her voice is crackling.

"Thanks, Lincoln. You're the best sibling I could ask for... Sorry, but I need some space".

She starts closing the door, but just before she closes it completely, she asks you one thing.

"Linc... If you talk with Lynn, could you say sorry for me? I don't want to disturb her, she may be mad at me still... But I want to make sure she knows my actions were not by my will".

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her", You say, and leave to talk with your sporty sister.

TALK WITH LYNN

Since she's hurt and couldn't go out today, you'll be able to talk with her. You don't really know how she feels right now. She's probably still pissed about yesterday. Not without reason, really. Being attacked with a knife in the middle of the night isn't exactly something to be taken lightly, much less when it's your own sister. But you knew that, in a very twisted way, it wasn't Lucy's fault. You had to do some digging. As long as you didn't push any buttons, the conversation would go well.

You see Lynn lifting a small dumbbell with one arm and alternating between the two, sitting on a bench. get into the room. You open the door and put a foot inside the room, knocking on the door.

"Can I come in?" You ask.

"Sure, sure. Let me put this thing down" She says, leaving the dumbbell down.

"Well, I wanted to talk with you…"

"I can guess the topic", she groans, rolling her eyes. "OK, what do you want to ask?".

INSERT DIALOG

(NOTE: Linc's dialog is adapted from player answers. It has been adapted to fit the story's style)

Lynn stays sitting at her bench, arms resting on her legs. She's somewhat annoyed, but she tries to calm herself down doing breathing exercises. You both know what route the conversation would take, so it's better for both of you to stay in a good mood.

"How's the wound?" You ask her, leaning against a wall.

"It stings a little bit, but it's OK", she says, calmly now, somewhat stoic. "The doc cleaned it, mostly. It looked ugly at first, but I didn't need stitches. Really, the only thing that annoys me is the doctor saying I can't go out".

"Well, as long as it heals..."

"Yeah, I guess..."

You two remain silent for a little while. You had to choose your words carefully. You decide to test the waters with Lucy's request.

"You know, I talked with Lucy..."

She doesn't say anything about it. Lynn only looks at the wall. Coincidentally, you remember the wall she's looking at as the side Lucy used to have, back when your home was so crowded.

"She's very, very sorry. She wanted me to explain to you she didn't mean to do anything".

Lynn inhales and exhales deeply. You could see some anger in her eyes, but she was trying her best not to burst like last night.

"I know it's not 'her' fault. I mean, she's crazy, we know that. Can't really blame crazy people for what they do, right? I'm not that mad at her, at least not now. I understand she's been going through a whole lot, and maaaybe she went ENORMOUSLY overboard with her craziness. But..."

She stops a little, standing up, this time looking at you.

"I'm very tired. Having to walk on eggshells when talking to Lucy, all that crazy stuff with Lisa the other day, having to deal with all the BS the people in this family comes with... I don't want to be here anymore, but what else can I do? I don't have the same options as our older sisters. I'm stuck here".

You listen to her with attention. Her stoic tone is cracking. She might be a little more open now to more things, maybe. Time for the big words.

"Look, Lynn, it wasn't actually Lucy who went to attack you".

She looks at you in disbelief, almost like you were joking, but her expression changes to a grimace when she sees your serious face.

"I know, I know, this sounds crazy" You start to explain. "But you have to trust me on this. You know she was... weird yesterday. That voice, that strength... it was unnatural. I'll explain everything later but for now, please you just have to trust me on this".

Lynn just stares at you, not sure if to believe what you're saying.

"I'll listen" She responds, sitting again on the bench.

"Don't be mad at her, please".

"OK, OK, I won't. But where are you going with this?".

"I gotta ask you about last night. The fight. Besides her voice and her unnatural strength, do you remember anything weird about her? I mean, before she attacked you as well, has she said anything?".

She puts her arms over her knees, as one of her hands holds her chin.

"Hmm... Well, I don't remember anything noticeable before the fight. I mean, sure, I saw her walking downstairs, and she walked a little weirdly, but she has had those episodes where she wanders around aimlessly before, so I didn't think much of it. I was about to get to sleep when she appeared in my room, and stood there, looking at me, not doing anything. I asked her what's up, and then I saw the knife in her hand. She jumped at me, whispering in that weird voice she would "sacrifice" me because something I did, something "bad, evil".

She stops at this point, like doubting her next words.

"I tried to avoid fighting her directly until she got too close. She was stupidly strong, I don't know how. It took some effort to hold her until you came. And well, you know the rest".

You think a little about this side of the story, how it connects to anything.

You want to calm her down. You can see Lynn is very affected with everything that everyone has gone through. She's been very stubborn, trying to hide her feelings from everyone, but late events have cracked through that facade. You hope she'll finally be the snappy sporty girl you knew she was, and maybe still is under her walls.

"You don't have to force yourself through this alone, you know?" You start, getting closer to her. "It's rough for all of us. I'm not saying you don't know that, just that it's OK to ask for help sometimes, it's not a sign of weakness".

She looks at you, with a sad expression. She isn't the emotionless wall now. That's good. You see how she goes to sit again on the bench, trying to calm herself down.

"Hey, you'll always have me at least, right?"

You sit at her side and put your arm around her, trying to comfort her.

"We can't go back to the way we used to be, but together we can still make this place a home".

Lynn looks away, trying to hide her tears. You pat her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"You OK?" You ask.

She suddenly hugs you back, hiding her face over your shoulder. You're a bit startled, but you were kind of expecting that reaction already. If anything, is a good sign. Lynn is healing, not only physically. A couple of tears drop over your shirt.

"Thanks, Lincoln. You're a great brother" She whispers, trying not to sob and sniff.

You pat her back, and both stay that way for a while. She stops hugging you and stands up, looking away. She still doesn't want to show her weakness so directly, but that might be pushing too much for her to show her emotions. You can understand that.

"Sorry Linc, but... I need a breather. Can you get out, please?"

"Sure, sure". You smile at her, even if she's not looking at your direction. As you walk through the door, she avoids your sight and goes back to her bench.

Everything said and done, there's not much more to talk about with your sisters.

You have enough bits to piece something out, but you feel you need another thinking mind to do it. Lisa might be able to help you out to complete the puzzle.

You could try to piece everything by yourself as well. Let Lisa to rest a little bit. She's been through a lot as well.

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LISA FOR HELP

THINK BY YOURSELF

CHOSE: TALK WITH LISA FOR HELP

.

You believe you have enough information to bounce with Lisa. Although you feel you know what has been going on so far, you don't really know how to proceed. How to even deal with all of this? Lisa might have a clue about that.

You enter the room and see Lisa already up, putting her oversized lab coat on. She sees you and raises her hand.

"Greetings. I hope you slept well".

"Yeah, I did. How about you?"

"I feel enormously better rested than last week, that is for sure", She says, as she uses her computer's screen as a mirror to fix her eyeglasses' position. "I'm still not in my best state still, but I'm recovering".

"That's good".

"You did move a lot, however".

"Oh, sorry about that".

"I'll make an exception either way since I still slept comfortably with you by my side. I think subconsciously I wanted someone bigger than me to feel safe". Her tone is so deadpan and scientific, but you assume it's her way to say thanks for being there for her.

"That's… Good? Anyways", you say, getting closer to her to talk business, "I have done some digging, and I need your help to piece everything together".

"Good call to come here. As I said, I'm still not at my peak condition, but surely I can be of help with your investigative endeavors. What is troubling you now, brother?".

INSERT DIALOG

You tell Lisa about your suspicions about Lucy being possessed. She nods, agreeing with you.

"That's the most plausible option. Some of her actions could be explained by schizophrenia or similar, but not everything".

"Well, whatever thing that got into her, going by what Lucy said, thinks that we, or at least Lynn, did something 'evil', and wants to sacrifice Lynn, for some reason".

Lisa is slightly surprised by that statement. She looks at you, thinking.

"That doesn't really sound as a 'chaotic' or 'random' entity, right?" You continue.

"What did Lucy say about that 'entity'?" She asks. You can see her getting a little bit worried.

"Lucy described a voice in her head talking to her, saying Lynn did something bad. Something like 'over and over, until blood gushed', 'bloodthirsty wolf, trying to feast' If I remember correctly".

Lisa stays still, thinking a little, and then moves to her shelves, looking for books.

"This... This sounds similar to another case I read about..." She says, looking at each book she has around until she picks one and opens it, shifting through the pages.

You take a seat on a chair close to a desk, while you wait for Lisa to come with something. She gets closer to the same desk, dropping a heavy book over it, and pointing at a page.

"Here. Read this".

You take a look at the book. It's something about spectral possessions.

"This case, as much as Dr. Curwen might go against it, might be proof that there might be something else than just chaos in the machinations of ethereal beings. On October 29th, 1982, in the state of Massachusetts (sadly, the records of the city itself are not very specific, some saying it was 'Arkham'), there's a register of a mass murder done by a lady named Lisbeth Martense. This murder, although resolved as a case of schizophrenia, she confessed about something possessing her and making her kill her family as a blood ritual".

"The details about this 'blood ritual' were never specified beyond what was chalked down as the ramblings of a mad bride. The few declarations that have been found, however, have specified the ritual needed the blood of evil-doers. The reasons the ritual needed that, however, is unknown".

"Surprisingly enough, investigations were started about any wrongdoings the Martense family might be in and found Mr. George Martense did, in fact, kill a vagabond in an alley, for reasons unknown. Same with the teenage son, Leonard Martense, who was involved previously in an investigation of a disappeared young girl he got involved with. Her lifeless body was found dismembered at a far-away field, close to a land owned by the Martense family".

You don't know how to take this much. Could this case be repeating? It sounds eerily similar to what's happening now. You just hope there are some things wrong here.

Lisa sees your expression. She seems as worried as you.

"This is not the only case that repeats the same pattern. This same author has pointed out other similar cases in various parts of this country, including Michigan".

"So, whatever it is this thing... It's here now?".

Lisa breathes, looking at the door, like checking if something is happening around.

"I'm certain. This might not be someone's ghost, but it isn't a mere spectre either".

You stay silent, processing all this new information.

"However,", she continues, raising her index finger, "although not good, we can know one thing. Lynn might have actually done something that triggered the attack".

"That's actually worse, really".

"It might be, but it could also help. If you find out what Lynn might have done, or at least something related to it, we could find the origin of this entity".

You're not feeling well with this. You fear for what Lynn might have done. Could she ever do something that bad? You really hope she didn't.

"I'll try to see what's going on".

You think about something else to ask Lisa. This last revelation is, at best, gut-wrenching. However, something else has been on your mind ever since your talk with Lori, and you are wondering about it. Your own memories are a little muddied, and you need someone who can refresh them.

"So, this is not related to Lucy or Lynn, but... Do you remember anything about Lily's summer class?".

Lisa, who was putting the book back on the shelf, turns to you.

"What about it?"

"Well, what happened in that class and all that... I can't remember for some reason".

"I guess your mind has blocked a lot from that due to trauma. I can understand, I'm doubtful about my own memories from that time myself".

She walks towards you, with her arms on her back, looking at the ground.

"Lily had socialization problems for her age, and the school told our parents to get her into a special summer school during Saturdays, so she could make friends and learn to be social. The fateful day where Lily passed away happened one of those Saturdays".

"I see..." You say, mostly to yourself, trying to fit this back into your memories.

She keeps her eyes on the ground and turns to walk to the opposite direction.

"What made you think about this, by the way?".

"I talked with Lori about Lily, and she mentioned the summer thing. I didn't really remember very well what happened".

Lisa stays silent, as she sits on her bed, looking out the window.

"What do you think you'll do now?".

"Well, I have another question... Who went with Lily to those classes? Or in that one day when Lily... You know?"

Lisa tries to think about it. She seems to have trouble remembering as well, but you're not sure if it's because of grief or genuine forget. Or maybe she forgot as a defense mechanism. God knows you might have done the same.

"I remember it was either you or Lynn who went with her, if not one of our parents. I remember Lucy went with her once when Lynn sprained her ankle and you were with your friend Clyde. It was mostly one of you two, however. Lily liked going with any of us. I tried to go with her once, but mom and dad preferred for someone... 'bigger' to go. I can understand why".

She smirks, somewhat pained, however. She gets back to her remembering.

"Either way... I can't remember who went with her that day. Since Lynn and you were the ones who did it more often, I'd say it was one of you".

"I see..." You couldn't remember as well. Lynn might remember, or not. It was weird for you how everyone you have talked about it so far seems to have as clouded memories as you do.

"Well, thanks for your help, Lisa. Now I think I have some more talking to do".

"You'll talk with Lynn, right?".

You stand up from your seat and walk to the door, not saying anything.

"We don't know what happened, and we don't know the circumstances either. Lynn might just be another victim in the convoluted situation our family's in now. Be careful with your words".

You listen to her but give no response. There was questioning to do.

EMERGENCY

You go to continue your deeds and find Lynn in front of the bathroom door. You had some questions for her still, so you approach her.

"Hey, Lynn…"

"Hey. Going to the bathroom as well?".

"No, not really".

"Well, I'm waiting here. Lucy went into it like ten minutes ago, and she's still there. The door is locked too, so I dunno what the hell is going on there".

You just notice Lucy's room has her door completely open.

"You didn't see her entering?"

"Well, no. I'm assuming she's here. I saw Lori and the twins downstairs, and I guess you were with Lisa in her room, right?".

"Yeah".

"So yeah, it's Lucy".

"I see…" You clear your throat, getting prepared to have a talk with her again.

You think on your words. There's a lot going on in your mind, and Lisa's right. You must tread carefully now. You don't know what has happened, so making any assumptions still might be too much. You start to wonder again about Lily's summer class. According to Lisa, it was either you or Lynn. You need those memories back, so anything could help.

"I was wondering something about Lily if you don't mind talking about it…"

"Sure", she says, looking at the door. She seemed a little bit in a hurry, maybe too concentrated in her bodily needs. "What's on your mind?".

"Well, she went to some summer classes, right?"

"Yeah".

"Do you remember who went with her the time she passed away?".

"Huh?" Is the only thing she manages to get out of her mouth at first.

"You know, it used to be us who went with her… And I was wondering who did".

"Oh, well…" She says, weirded out. "Honestly… I don't know".

"You don't?"

"Sorry, but I can't remember. It surely was one of us, but I can't think of who", she shrugs. "Sorry Linc".

"It's OK, I guess" You didn't know if to fully trust her. She sounded sincere, but with all that has been uncovered so far, you're a little doubtful.

You think on something else to ask to her, as you see her starting her dance again. She's getting a little desperate, she really needed to go.

"Ah, damn it…" You hear her say between her teeth, as she walks to the door and knocks. "Hey, Lucy!" She says a bit angry, but she changes her tone to a calmer one, considering who's she's talking with. "Um, sorry, Lucy, could you get out? I need the bathroom too".

There's no answer at all. You check Lucy's room. She really wasn't there.

"You sure it's Lucy who's there?".

"Totally. Who else could it be?".

You are a little doubtful of what's going on. You try to open the door, but the doorknob falls as soon as you touch it. You forgot that happened.

Lucy might be in, but the door is completely locked.

"Lucy, are you there?" You ask.

Suddenly, you hear something slamming the door from the other side. What's going on now?

"Lucy?" You ask again, a bit worried now.

No answer.

"Lu-"

"Help…"

It was her, and her slight cry chilled your bones. Something terrible is happening. You try to see through the hole in the door left by the knob that fell apart, a terrible sight awaiting your eye.

Lucy was on the ground, trying to reach the door, as blood flowed from her wrists, smearing the whole floor in a deep, dark red.

Lucy's in trouble,

What will you do?

CHOOSE ORDER

TELL LORI

SEARCH FOR FIRST AID

BREAK THE DOOR OPEN (HOW?)

CALL 911

(these commands are not as "hard-coded" as the others. Choose and expand on them to add more specific actions if needed. Order will be determined by an average of the players' input and discussion).

(NOTE: Following narration went according to players' input)

You don't even know how to react at first. Lynn asks you what's wrong, but you barely heard her. You couldn't afford to make any mistakes; your sister is in danger. You have to help her, save her.

"LINC!" You hear Lynn scream to your ear, making you snap out of your trance.

You react, turning to her. Your mind started to work on how to proceed with this. Hopefully, it will end well.

"Lynn, Lucy's badly hurt!" You exclaim to her, looking at her directly at her eyes and with a very serious expression, to make sure she'd act quickly. "Help me out with the door!".

She reacts fast and runs to her room. You don't know why that's her first reaction, but you hope it's a correct decision. She comes fast out of there with an aluminum baseball bat. By the edge of your vision, you manage to see a peculiar stain on it, but you don't have enough time to examine it.

"Move!" She shouts as she prepares a mighty swing.

You barely manage to avoid getting in the way of the swing, as Lynn busts completely the lock out of the door. The door is now open. You thought on kicking it at first, but you guess that is more effective.

Everything's going so fast, you can barely react on how to continue. You get into the bathroom and try to find the first aid kit.

"Lynn, please call 911 and tell Lori about this. I'll try to help Lucy out".

She nods and runs down the stairs, following your orders. A flashing thought passes through your mind. Even as broken your family is right now, you can see there's still a home.

You get the bandages ready, try to do tourniquets on Lucy's arms. She doesn't respond, she's falling asleep, passing out. You fear for the worst.

"Lucy, please, don't go..." You whisper to her, holding your breath, holding your emotions.

You manage to haphazardly patch up her wounds, but she's bleeding a lot, more than you thought a girl so petite could. You manage to see both Lori and Lisa coming to your direction. Lisa tries to help you out, not saying a word. She probably has a bit more of a "cold heart" for these procedures, and works a bit faster than you.

"I called 911", Lori says to you. "How's she?".

You think "I don't know", but your lips say to Lucy "We can do it, just hang in there".

Everyone seems so worried, tense. You remember how this happened a few months ago. When she tried to kill herself. Everyone reacted the same way, although this time it seemed a little faster. Maybe everyone expected this to happen sooner or later. Probably sooner.

Lynn comes in, and gets close to Lucy, Lisa and you. She gets on her knees, trying to talk with her.

"Lucy! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't want to be mad at you!".

Her sudden apologies make you stop your endeavors. She's pouring her heart into her words, something you didn't expect to see happening.

"I'm sorry for being mad at you... I know it's not your fault, and I know you can get better! We all have to, we have to be a family again!". Lynn can barely blurt out the last words, as her face changes from her stoic face to a one more emotional, worried, stressed, sad, and angered, a vortex of feelings.

Lucy seems to react to her words. She tries to rise her arm, trying to reach for her sporty sister, the one she hurt just last night. You could interpret it as her way to say "sorry" as well, or as a way to make her feel forgiven. You don't know, you just keep doing your thing, trying to keep Lucy alive.

She then turns to you. You could see Lucy's eyes behind the thick, black hair of hers. They looked so compassionate, so loving. She's not the beast you saw last night. You knew that wasn't your little sister.

"Save me... Lincoln..." She says, passing out.

The sirens can be heard in the distance.

HOSPITAL

Just as the emergency happened in a blur, the trip to the hospital dragged in time like a slow hell. You couldn't be calm, even though Lisa told you to be. You went with her to the hospital. Lynn had to stay because of her own wound, although she was even doubting if that made sense anymore. She told you to take care of Lucy, and say sorry for her. She wanted her gloomy sister to know there were no hard feelings.

Lori thought it was better for you to go now, and she'd go after helping the twins with trick-or-treating. She didn't want to ruin their festivity, even though you could see neither Lola or Lana felt that well by going to play games while one of their sisters was in peril.

The doctor said she'd be OK, in time. The blood loss was a lot, but not lethal. Thankfully, the cut was horizontal instead of vertical, which is a lot easier to help. You wait alongside her in the hospital room. She's sleeping.

As you sit there, you think on the current events. Were suicidal tendencies acting up again, or was it the spectre possessing her? Lisa had her suspicions as well and told you she'd think on something and communicate with you once she had some proof to confirm her hypotheses.

The nurse comes with a couple of blood bags. She tells you kindly to get out of the room, to not risk any contamination or something like that. She could see your worry and your tension. She gave you a couple of bucks and told you to buy something from the gift shop for your sister, so you could give her a little something when she woke up.

You agreed, but you were fearing for the spectre to act out again at any moment. You see the dusk coming through the windows. At any moment, a night of full moon and gray clouds would come.

What will you do now?

GO TO GIFT SHOP

CALL FAMILY (Lori, Lisa, Lynn)

STAY CLOSE TO LUCY

CHOSEN: STAY CLOSE TO LUCY

You decide to stay close to the room. It wasn't a very fancy hospital, with big glass walls as you could see on TV. But there were windows on the doors and walls that let you see how the nurse worked. She hangs the blood bag, connects tubes, all that sort of thing. You could see screens monitoring Lucy's heartbeat, among another bunch of things you weren't sure if they're necessary at all. You guess it is? But it seems so nonsensical to the untrained eye, it almost looks like the gibberish you saw on Lisa's white boards that one time.

You start reminiscing her suicide attempt back then. The method was different: she grabbed a bunch of sleeping pills mom had and swallowed them all. She wanted to sleep forever. You remember her saying so after she woke up. You were with her that day in the hospital, alongside your parents. Now it's just you.

You think on how mom and dad may feel now. If it has been hard to you, you can't imagine how it may be for them. You wish they could take a vacation from being mom and dad, but you also know they'd never give up their responsibilities. You think that's an admirable quality they always had. As a numerous family, you were, they never avoided you.

The nurse finishes her procedure and swiftly leaves the room. She stops when she notices you peeking in, and touches your shoulder to grab your attention.

"You sure you don't want to buy her something?"

"Maybe later" You answer, honestly. "I'm too worried for her".

"Aw, that's so sweet", she says, smiling to you. "If you want, I can buy the thing for you, although I don't know what tastes your sister may have".

"Anything's fine, really. It's a nice gesture, miss".

"You're welcome hun. You're a good brother. you know?".

You give her the money and she leaves to the gift shop. You feel a little more comfortable knowing your sister didn't suddenly snap.

What will you do next?

CALL LORI

CALL LYNN

CALL LISA

CHOSEN: CALL LISA

(NOTE: Further dialog with Lisa comes from players' input)

You grab your phone to call your genius sister, as you keep an eye on the window. Lucy's still asleep.

Lisa takes your call almost instantly like she was about to call you.

"Lincoln?".

"Yeah. What have you discovered so far?".

"Don't tell Lynn", you hear her whisper, "but I might have intruded into her personal belongings. I can say with certainty two things, and they're not exactly good... But you can be assured of these two: this has helped me in the research, and more importantly, might help to get the spectre out of Lucy's body".

You gulp. You are kinda imagining what will be Lisa's revelations.

"Shoot", You tell her, putting more attention into her voice, not to miss any detail.

"Well, this is hard to say but..." She clears her throat, as finding the right words. "Lynn... Did something. I'm not sure what, but she probably did something very bad. She has an aluminum baseball bat, and I noticed a blood stain on it. It's not her blood, I can tell you for sure".

You don't know if you were expecting it or not, but it still was a hit to your gut. You hoped the next part would clarify what drove her to do whatever she did.

"She appeared right before I could do a more extensive investigation on it, but I could notice three things. The first, certain soul prints were in it, which might imply that a living being was..." She stops there, not specifying what happened there, and continued with the next part. Maybe she didn't have the guts. "Either way, the second thing is there are traces of a spectre in both the blood and in Lynn. So maybe Lynn did... Whatever she did, but this leads to the third: It wasn't directly her fault. You can rest assured she's as much of a victim as our brooding sister is now".

You sigh, somewhat relieved. It still terrible to know she might have done something terrible, but maybe it's all into the spectre's modus operandi.

You think on something else to ask to her. Some other thoughts passed your mind, some other mysteries to work out.

"Wait, both Lynn and I had trouble remembering the time Lily went to summer classes... do you think that's when the spectre took hold of her? Do you think it might've taken hold of me too?"

"That's... Something I'm working on. It might come as a surprise to you, but you two are not the only ones who can't remember Lily's summer classes. I think we all know that they happened, but many details are blurred to me as well... If anything, my investigation diaries have helped me to keep track of those days".

You hear her shifting through pages.

"Well, fu-darn, I can't find any registers of the day she passed away... Either way, spectres don't really care for the mind itself, aside from its state. The only way for spectres to enter somebody's body is when they find that person mentally unstable. Lynn might have been in an unstable mood at some point, and without knowing, she brought it here, and then the spectre jumped to a better host, Lucy. That's my theory, at least".

"Can a spectre control many people at once?" You ask, a passing thought you caught before it went too far.

"Although it could be said it 'spreads' like a disease, it only goes from one body to another. I doubt there could be a spectre powerful enough to influence more than one person".

"Is it possible that the specter ever took hold of one of us? Aside Lynn or Lucy, I mean".

"I doubt so. As much as my mind got in bad shape last week, it seems the spectre thought of Lucy as a much better host than me. I checked for ethereal traces all around the house and the only ones that I detected were in Lynn's room and Lucy's. Either we have some more mental fortitude, or Lucy was much more vulnerable".

"So, this spectre... Can we kill it, or something?" You ask, considering the current events.

"I doubt so. Spectres do not follow the rules of mortality as living beings do. They can, however, be thrown back to their own plane, which is what we might be able to do".

"I see... So, more importantly", you continue, clearing your throat. "What will help Lucy out, exactly?"

"Surprisingly, a friend of yours came home when you were away. I asked her to bring my tool to you. This tool should be able to imitate a body host and lure the spectre to it. Once it's contained, you shall bring it to me, as I work on how to send it back to its plane".

A friend, she says. You kinda know already what friend is that.

"And how do I use it, do I just bring it near her and the spectre should go inside it?"

"Well, to say the tool 'lures' the spectre is a euphemism. It's more like 'grabs it and cages it'. The tool has the shape of a wrist watch, for accessible use. I think I did an intuitive enough interface, but I gave your friend a small diagram that should tell you how to use it correctly".

"Its better I continue on developing another tool to get that spectre out of this plane. Your friend should be close to your position now. She might be in the hall or another concurred place in the hospital. Now, don't interrupt my investigations, I'll be working on delicate materials".

She hangs up without saying goodbye. Sometimes she gets too into her things, you guess.

What to do next?

CALL LYNN

CALL LORI

GO FIND YOUR FRIEND

CHOSEN: CALL LYNN

You decide to call your sister Lynn next. You keep an eye on Lucy still. She's quiet. You can see the monitor displaying her heartbeat, it seems to be OK. You hope the spectre doesn't suddenly act up.

It's funny, in a way, how this might be the first time in months you can surely call Lynn. Since she spends most days outside of the house, she almost never receives the calls on her phone.

"Hello?" She answers your call after a few beeps.

"Hey, it's me. How are you?"

"I'm fine, I guess. Worried, as anybody else here, of course. Have you been able to talk with her yet?"

"No, she's still sleeping. I'm just outside her room, checking on her. They won't let me in yet, to not contaminate or whatever".

"That's OK. I hope she recovers" She sighs. She sounds nervous, but calmer than before, and a lot less robotic than ever. "Man, this sucks".

You smirk. That expression is the kind of thing you'd hear from Lynn in the past. You almost forgot she was like that.

"It truly does" You answer, smiling to yourself.

"Well, I'll tell mom and dad. They just came back. Lori called them just after you left in the ambulance with her".

"How are they?"

"Take a guess. They said they'll go too, once they get some stuff for whenever Lucy comes back. They trust you to keep a good eye on her".

"I'll do my best".

"So, anything you want to ask me? I gotta go help mom in setting up Lucy's bed".

(Further dialog comes from players' input)

"Lynn. That bat of yours that you used to break the bathroom door, did you... notice anything weird about it?"

You hear the phone bounce over the floor on the other side of the line. You wonder if it was out of surprise or out of clumsiness. You are almost sure it's the first one.

"Uh, n-no, nothing, I think? Why do you ask?" She replies, very unsure of her words. Seems she's not very good at lying.

You decide to play fool. It's better to not confront her about it still.

"Nothing. I guess I was just seeing things", you answer back. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all".

"O-oh, OK. Well, I hope you get some rest soon, then. This house has been upside down lately..."

"Yeah, I know".

"Well, mom's calling me to help!" You hear her say, even though you didn't hear mom at all. "See ya later. And I hope you get to talk with Lucy, please".

"Yeah, I'll get to it when she wakes up. Don't worry".

"Thanks, Linc. Bye".

She hangs up quickly. Maybe she was trying to avoid any further conversation. Your inquisitiveness has been maybe too much for her.

What's next?

Call Lori

Find Friend

CHOSEN: CALL LORI

You decide to call Lori now. She might be very worried. And it shows since you barely had to wait for her to pick up.

"Lincoln! How's everything going?" She asks, jittery.

"It's all fine now, Lori", you say to calm her down. "The doc told me she lost a lot of blood, but they patched her up quickly and is recovering. She could get out of the hospital in a couple of days, but I think she'll stay a little more due to psych ward".

"I see..." She says, in a better mood, but somewhat sad. "She's gone through a lot... I really hope she gets better, and I do not mean only her wounds on her body..."

You don't say anything back, except scratching your head. You know exactly where Lori's going, so you think she needs some space to vent, a shoulder to cry on.

"You know I left home after a big fight, right? I did it privately with mom and dad, but it wouldn't surprise me if everyone in the house heard us. It was a very heated discussion, and I even said... Very rude things to mom and dad. But the truth is they're as responsible for what has happened between us than we are. We didn't stick together when we should've. And I'm so sorry..."

You hear her sniff, but she snaps out of it pretty fast.

"Anyways... Anything else you want to say? Mom and dad are super busy right now, so they haven't called you yet, and I think it's better if you wait for them to call. But if you have anything to say to them, I can do it for you".

(Note: Further dialog comes from players' input)

"How's mom and dad holding up?"

"Well, you can take a wild guess... It's a wonder they've held their tears so well. I saw mom with watery eyes, but she cleaned her eyes and started to work on setting up things for Lucy. Same with dad, he's running everywhere to get anything she'll need. He called her psychiatrist, this time to get a prescription. He's been calling a lot of people to see what else can be done before they head out to the hospital".

She makes a pause, clearing her throat, and trying not to sniff.

"Really, I can see in their eyes they're devastated, but they show such strength... I don't know I could have that same fortitude".

You are still kind of wondering on Lynn's whereabouts. She avoided talking much to you, so you try to probe something else.

"How's Lynn?" You inquiry, trying to find out more.

"Lynn? Well, she's OK. She was helping mom out, but now she's just in her room. Haven't seen her in a couple of minutes already. Why do you ask?".

"Well, you saw her when we rescued Lucy from the bathroom and all... I think she might be taking it too hard".

"Oh, right, that... Well, she seems to be calmer than at that moment. Can't say much more, I've been busy getting some numbers and making my own calls".

"Oh, talking about that..." You say, to segway in another question. "Where you able to get in contact with any of our other sisters and tell them about Lucy?"

"Well, I called Leni. She can't come home yet, but said she will come by the weekend, and asked to get updates on everything. Surprisingly enough, I managed to contact Luna and Luan too. They've been all around the country, you know? They said they were in Los Angeles right now, of all places. They can't both come right now, but they already told me at least one of them will try to be here".

"That's great", you answer. You hope to see your other sisters soon.

"Sorry Linc, but I have to hang. The house is literally upside down right now, moving things here and there. I hope Lucy gets well soon".

"We all do. Bye, Lori".

"Bye".

She hangs up, and you get your phone into your pocket.

Well, it's time to find the mysterious friend. Lisa said "she", so you can take a guess of who's her.

She said she'd be at a concurred place. The two places you can think is the hall or the gift shop.

CHOOSE:

HALL

GIFT SHOP

CHOSEN: HALL

You do the last check on Lucy. She's peacefully sleeping. Didn't seem like anything would happen still. You check your phone. It has been very long, surprisingly. Everything started like at 11 AM or 12, and now it's 9 PM. Time flies when you're waiting for things to get right, it seems. It's very dark outside. You can see the moon hidden behind the gray clouds. Will the full moon come, or stay shrouded?

Since nothing is happening, you assume it's safe to get to meet your "mysterious" friend.

You decide to go to the main hall. It's not a very long trip from the ICU, so you get there in just a couple of minutes, and start searching, your eyes trying to catch a friendly face. Between the multitude, however, nothing could be found.

You keep looking, but someone touching your shoulder makes you jump, almost puke your heart out. You really weren't expecting that.

"Hey, lame-o".

You turn back, and see a smiling face in front of you. It's Ronnie Anne.

"Ronnie! What a surprise! ...Literally", you say, as you put your hand over your chest, feeling the fast beating.

"It's Halloween, right? I had to scare somebody". She seems pleased to see you. "Are you and your sis OK?"

"My sis is recovering, but will be here for a couple of days for sure. And, aside from the heart attack you gave me, I'm OK".

"That's good to hear", she answers, putting her hands into her sleeveless jacket's pockets.

"So, hey, it's not that I'm not happy to see you or anything..." You say, trying to get straight to the point. "But my sister told me you had something for me, right?"

"Oh yeah", she says, trying to find something in her pockets. Soon, she pulls out a plastic bag and hands it to you. "Here it is. She didn't tell me what it was, exactly. And well, I never understood what your little sister talks about, so I guess she was polite by not babbling her scientific mumbo-jumbo this time".

You smile at her, as you uncover the item.

You examine the item inside. Just as Lisa said, it's a watch-like thing, alongside two wireless earbuds, the kind of thing you'd see on spy movies. A crude diagram came with it. Seemed simple enough to use, you just hoped it'd work.

"Well, I hope that's the thing you were expecting", Ronnie Anne says, scratching the back of her neck.

"Yeah, it is", You say, putting the things on.

"So... Will you tell me what it is? Not that you need to, sure..."

She seems a little nervous. It's been a while you see each other, aside from a passing glance in school.

Will you talk with her a little, or just go back to your business?

CHOOSE:

TALK

LEAVE

CHOSEN: TALK

(Note: Dialog comes from players' input)

"So, what you've been up to?" You ask to her, trying to make some small-talk and to avoid talking about the weird watch-thing Lisa made. Plus, it'd be rude to just go and leave, especially after so long without an actual conversation

"Oh, nothing special. Going to class, playing games at the arcade... I see your sister Lynn playing on the soccer field from time to time. Is she helping the teacher to coach or something?".

You just shrug. You really don't know what Lynn has been up to.

"Anyways, yeah... I've been mostly surviving high school. It's a wonder we're so close to getting out, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I barely felt the years come by".

"And what about you?" She asks, although seems to regret asking just after.

"Oh well... You know, it has been hard days".

"Yeah, I guess... Sorry for asking, I think you have a lot going on right now".

"It's OK. It's been a while".

You both stay silent for a while.

"I kinda missed you, honestly", you say to her. She seems to get a little flustered.

"O-Oh, well, I missed you too, y'know? We haven't talked about anything. I guess not being in the same classes have helped that".

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry for shutting you off. I did the same with Clyde, and honestly... I've been in need of a friend lately".

"Well, you can count on me!" She says, smiling, with a trembling voice. She really seems to have been missing you, a lot more than you missed her.

"So, hey, this might feel a little out of the blue, but I guess it fits the holiday..." You start saying. "What do you think about spirits and ghosts or whatever?".

"Huh? That's kinda weird to ask, don't you think?" She laughs. "I don't really have any strong opinions about it. There's the whole 'Día de Los Muertos' or "Día de todos Los Santos' in Latin America and all, but I actually never put much attention to it. Granma used to, but she... Well, you know, the thing that happens when you're too old".

"Oh, I see. Sorry about that".

"It's OK", She says, brushing it off. "It happened a long time ago, either way".

You wonder if that "long time ago" is around the "time we stopped talking" time frame.

You think a little bit if she could be of help or not. Catching a spectre doesn't seem as easy as would it be catching a wild monster in a video game, but letting too much information out, as much of a friend she might be, could be a little too much. Either way, if she's close you could use any help she could give.

"Hey, Ronnie Anne, do you have to leave soon or anything?".

"No, not really. I'm not going to scare kids off or throw eggs this year, so I can stay- If you want to, of course".

"Cool, because I could use some help from you", you explain to her. "I can't really say much right now, but I have to go check back on my sister. Can you stay around here, please? I'll call you if I need you".

"Sure, no prob", She says, smiling. "Anything you need. Either way, avoiding Bobby talking of your sister is always a blessing..."

You smirk. It kinda surprised you that Lori barely talked about him when you talked with her. Granted, maybe she had her head more focused on helping out in the house.

"Well, I'll be-"

"Lincoln Loud", you hear the announcer call you through the speakers, "you are required in the ICU wing, Room 12".

"...Going".

This doesn't sound good. Ronnie Anne can see the worry in your face.

"Go. I'll wait here", she reassures you.

You thank her only moving your lips, as you get to run to the room. Did something happen to Lucy? You don't know if to hope if it's Lucy being in vital risk or the spectre acting up again. You hoped that it wasn't anything, but there's no space for such options.

When you get there, you see the nurse with a bat plushy in her hands, talking with a doctor. When they see you, the doctor comes forward.

"Your sister's gone, mister".

"What?" You ask, flatly, as your heart skips a beat.

"She isn't in her room" He explains. "Have you seen her leave at any moment?" He asks to you, as the nurse did some calls to guards.

"No!" You almost shout, altered. Your heart almost exploded at that moment. "I went out like ten minutes, and she was completely asleep! How did she even wake up?"

"We don't know either, sir. We're looking into it. Right now, my assistant is calling the guards, and we'll make a lockdown if she isn't found any soon".

You just breathe, trying to calm down. Lisa told you to keep your cool, you couldn't hunt out the spectre this way.

"OK, OK... What can I do to help?"

"I'd advise you to wait calmly. A patient has never escaped the facility before, and we're sure this won't be the case either. Now, it's better you sit and calm down".

You really can't say much, but the doctor is somewhat right. However, you have your suspicions. The doctor doesn't actually know what's happening, but you're sure it's the spectre acting out.

The lights seem to flicker a little.

Your earbuds have some noise.

You now had Lisa's artifact. You could either wait as the doctor said, or search for yourself. You hope you'll find her in time.

CHOOSE:

FOLLOW DOCTOR'S ORDER

SEARCH FOR HER

CHOSEN: SEARCH FOR HER

Everything be damned, you must find her. You're the only one who knows what's going on with her, and the doctors wouldn't help with that. You wait for the nurse and the doc to leave your sight but seems like they won't get out of your proximity.

The lights are flickering again. You thought the hospital had a better service. However, it might be related to something else. You hear a static in your ears. The earbuds were acting up. You look at your wrist. Like a radar, it was showing off something nearby.

The lights went off in the whole hallway. Darkness is starting to shroud you. It's time.

You play fool as you walk behind the doctor's back, as you decide to follow the traces the watch is showing you. At the same time, you send a quick message to Ronnie Anne.

"I need ur help lucy's missing help find her".

You don't check if she answers back or anything, you just go and hope for the best.

The lights flicker still, but stay turned off more than on. You walk through the hallway, trying to use your phone as a flashlight. Your eyes alternate between the watch, showing something far ahead of you. Was it this long? It seems it never end. You didn't notice, but between the static you can hear people wailing. You don't know if it comes from the earbuds or the hallway, from the suffering of burn victims or terminal patients.

There are many types of injured and wounded in that wing. It's kind of scary. It reminded you of the last time you were with Lucy, maybe at this same hospital. You could hear them as well, back then, when you tried to sleep with her, sitting beside her bed.

You hear a splash. The floor is wet, and you notice water pouring from the ceiling. With the full-moon light coming from the windows you can notice a trail, like something... Walked all over the walls and ceiling.

And then, you hear the static going higher pitched and louder. A strong sound, tearing through your ears. And you hear a growl, almost in front of you.

Lucy.

"Lucy!" You shout, trying to make her react, but you knew deep in your heart she wasn't there now. It was the spectre.

She walks slowly towards you, like the spectre could barely control the weak body it's using as a vessel. She's dripping wet, like she submerged under water, or got under the shower while fully clothed. Her hospital gown was ripped, like she would have wildly tried to take it out, like she didn't comprehend how clothing worked, even. She had some small cuts over her body.

You notice a scalpel. Did the spectre try to kill her again?

"Lucy..." You whisper to her, as you try to get closer. But the voice comes out. That deep, feral and baritone voice, from beyond the grounds of sanity.

"S̵̨̰͔͈̻͇̥̝̗ͯ͊̂ͦ̚͟Ä͉̘̫̮͍̻͛͌ͩ͐C̙̠͓͊͆̂̓̈́̏̈́̾͜Ȓ̟̜̭͓̘̭̔͗͑̃̍ͦ͢İ̠̘͚̭̺̜̹̪͌̆͋̆̃̕F̨͈̪͎̩ͦͬ̇ͅI̡͚͎ͣ̆̉̀͟C̷̃̃̏͏̤̱̜̤͓͓͕E̡͈̦͖̜̫͓̎"

You hear, as Lucy, or the spectre, got closer to you, pointing at you with the scalpel. She starts going faster and faster. You see her flicker, almost like the lights, closer to you. Is she walking? Is she just appearing out of thin air, closer to you? You don't know how to react.

"N̗͔̟͗̈́̑̍ͦ̽̚O̖̻̳̮̟̘̐ͭ͡͡T̴͉͉̖̾͂̚ ̻̭̊̐́E̷̛͓͕͍̳̹͑ͤ͆̄N̢̬̦͙͙͍ͭ͂̐ͭͤ̔͋ͅO̷͓̖̽͆ͨͬ̿͜ͅU̥̤͍͓̥̺ͭ͑ͩ̽̇͑G̷͚̺̞̼͔̫͗ͦͬ͗H̗ͭͭ ̶̷̭̖̞̜̦̲̟̱̱̃̾̄ͮͤ̽͒B̨̢̼̟̺̝̥̂̾̌̆ͨ́ͩ͆L͕̲͍̰̳ͮͧ̿̌͜ͅO̫̮͍̭͒̐ͨͯ͗̇͗O̅̔͒̋ͦ̆҉͍̰̞͓͕̳̘D̢̙̳̲̝̓͂̿͒ͬ͛̿̔̕,̤̠͕̗̪̲ͨ̑̎̎͞ ̴̦͈͍̝̇ͧ͑́̍͠G̰͚͈͉̗̼̳̬̓͛ͩ̔̈̈͟I͇̪͇̖̤̲̠̯ͩ͛̌̾̈́͝V̶̛̦̠̓̀͒͑͊͡ͅE̞̖͈ͩ͟ ͇͑͑ͨ̄̿̆ͩ͞M̵̰͍̮͈̝̜̞̺ͣͧȄ̝̙͔̟̱̗̋ͩ̏̔̂͊́͟ ̖͍̘̇ͯͤY̷ͤ̃̓̇̅̎̽́͡҉̭̰̪̭Õ̸͉̬͍̞̟̩͇̲͂̿͋ͫͭ͂U̫̓ͧͮ͝Ŕ̝͍͇̹͒ͪͬ̑̎̀̚S͈͙̈́ͤ͌ͧ"

You don't even see when she's right in front of you and jumps over. You battle against the supernatural strength. It felt even harder to fight than before. You needed to touch the watch, to do that synchronization Lisa told you to. You tried to be calm, but it was almost impossible.

The scalpel gets closer and closer to your neck, so close to the skin, to the veins.

"Lincoln!" You hear behind the static. Ronnie Anne?

Quickly, she reacts, and you feel how she tackles your sister off you. You felt the edge of the scalpel just over. A small drop of blood falls down your neck.

She's the one now struggling with the power of Lucy. She wasn't as strong as you, but just jumping over your sister wouldn't be enough this time. You had to get the frequency right now.

"Ċ̴̢̗͙̻̳̩̝͉̔ͯ͌̄̓̒͆́̑̚͡H̢̙̲̹̮͈̱̳̲͍̞̙̯͍̥̯̓̇̾͗͆̄̽͐̋̎ͣ͌̔̈́̏̀̚͝Ẵ̵̛̺̙͔͙͖̦̞̮͎̼̣̯͍͉͆̈́͌́ͪ̆̎ͪ͌͊̈̓ͨ͡Ǭ͓͇̟̪ͣ̿̊ͩ͂̓͋́ͪ̀̓͗̈́ͦ́͜͡S̵̵͓̙͖̮̹̬̜͉͎̼͚͓̊ͧ̃̄ͧ͗ͧ͒̔ͮ̅̄̎́͞͞,̸̧̛͎̭̜̻̥̫̞͎͍̦̖͙̜̩̯̄̔̊ͨͪ̿ͩ̒͑͒̃̓̄ͪ̆̄̓͘͠ ̷̛̖͔̦̝̦̗͇̮̤͗ͫ͂ͮ̀͒͌ͭ̚͞͞C̨̆ͫͬ̏͂͑̓͢͟҉̬͚̭̬̯͍͙̪͓̞̼͔̲ͅH̨̗̞̦͈̬̺̰̖͔̗̩̦̗̗͈͈̺̽̍̍ͧ̏̀̅̏̒̓̆́͡͝ͅͅA̼̻͉̝̞ͨ͆͗̄̀͘͝Ǫͨ̅̒͛̊ͣ̿͑̈́̓͑̏̈́͌ͨͪ̇͏̼͚̞̠͎̘̘̼̪̞͍̟̲̙̟͈̲͠ͅS̩͎̙̠̫͖͖̖̹̝̙̟̹̬ͬ̌̄ͧͪ͞͡ ̧̢̻̯̰̲̙̥̮͙͔̫̥͇̳ͤ͊ͧ̄ͤ̍̆̏͛̃̕R̴̢ͣ́ͣ̓̑ͧͤ̂̊͛̿̿̾ͣ̄̋̈́҉̯̲͙̗̲̘I̯̗͖͈ͯ͛̂ͩ͆͐͡͡T̶̛͍͉̣̩̱̻̫͎ͮ̓̌ͩͮ̈́̕͠U̬͉̗̯̼͚͛̒ͤ̄̈́́́̔̔ͩ̔͘͜Ȧ̶̛̳͙̤͎͇̗̲͗ͬ͋̍̓̋̀ͮ͐͐̋ͪ̀̚L̷̷̢̞̜̳̘̭̭͎͂̄ͭ̑̀̚͢,̟̭̞͚̟̮̭͓̟̍ͫ̾̉͛̽ͮ̀̀͟͠ ͕̣̳̞̼̫̻̘̹̥̘̝̉̽̔̂̄̄ͤͨͬ͢͟͝ͅB̵̦͖̬̺̖͎͔͓͕̐̓ͣͮ̚̕͢͝R̴̶̮̞͈͖̹̟̫͎͗̈́̈́ͪ̑̌̉ͨ̽ͧ̿͗̃̈ͭ͊̾̕I̴͗͋̾̎͒͌ͪͧ͑ͬ͢͠͏҉̺̻͇̯̥̤̱̲̦N̋̾ͪ̂ͮ͌̇͂̕͏̸̸͏͙̱̖̱͚̺͔͉̻̥̣̩̙̩͔G̘̣̬̲̤̗̝̝͚͓̳̭̘̠̥͎̒ͮ̊̏͊͑ͬͪͯ̾ͮ̕ ̠͓͔͍̮͗̆̿̊ͬ͐̎̍̀͘H̛̤͓̙̰̟̹̠̰̖͉̟͎̆͗̿̐̇̒͐ͫ̃̂̊͆̓I̶̢͖̜̺̤͓̣̬̙͚̩̦̤̼̎̋̂̍͑̿̂̅ͩ̐̄͂͂ͦ̚̕͟͞ͅM̶̵͇̠̟͈̲̖ͨ̍̓́͘͜ͅ"

"C'mon, c'mon" You grunt, trying to set it. You see a line moving in the radar, a number displaying MHz, you could barely understand. You tried to fit the numbers, but it couldn't work.

"Goddammit, please, Lucy...

"O̯̳̼̰͈̓͐̎̿͗͛̐̄̃̆̋̂ͭ͟͡P̱̘̫̭͕͎͎̣̬̜͂ͤ͐́̕͢͞E̵̸̡̻͓̠͚̭͔͇̻͎̜̲̲̙̜͖͓ͣ̆̓̑ͩ̍͘N̢͚͇̱̦͗ͣ̈ͯͭ̽̍͐ͫ̑̏̃ͭ͑͂̿ͬͦ́͢͟ ̡̨̉ͪ̓̈ͪ͒̈́̏ͧ̓ͣ̚͏͓̺͚͕̺͖̮̞̝̦͇̪͍̬̦̟̱ͅT̸̛̲̱̬̘͈͙̒ͯ̋̅̂̓͒ͪ̌̄̎̈ͩ̍̀͗Ḩ̴͕̥̼̜̥͚̟͚͙̦̗̹̭̠̂̓̂̇́ͪͭͨ͑́ͅȨ̴̮̭̱̜͖̹̙̦̬̓ͯͧ̓͛̓ͨ̏ͭ̕ ̢̛̓̇ͧͮ̅́̏̉ͫͪͧ͌̃́͒ͦ̏͋̚͏̯̘͉̼̘̱̝̲̬̭̥̻͖̳̼͕̰̹́G̲͎͓̱ͯ͐͐͌ͪ͟Aͩ̆̓̉ͦ̂̇ͮ͆̍ͦ͐̍͒͂̆͘͘҉̨͎͕̭̝̯͙̭̩̠̼̱͖̼͇̗̥͘ͅT̨̨̮͈͓̥̙͗̒ͦͣͧ̐͆͑ͧ͐̇̄̕͜͠E͆ͪͬ͗̎̎̾̓̄̿͏̸̭͉͔͕͚̜̠̀̕͝S̵̨̢̛͓̱̣̗̭̱̥͚̗͒͆̌ͣ̾͋͒͞"

Finally, you get to match it. You press the button. Ronnie is trying to hold it as much as she can.

"Lincoln, please!" Ronnie Anne screams, desperate.

"I'm trying-"

Red.

Red.

"Jesus f..."

You turn the knob again.

Red.

The knob...

Green.

Lucy falls down, on her knees. The light turns on. You see her wrist wounds were uncovered. They were not bleeding, but they looked terrible. You walked to her, trying to hold your emotions back. "Keep your cool", Lisa said.

CRY LITTLE SISTER

You remember when you were with Lucy in the hospital when she tried to reunite with Lily in the afterlife. It's weird to think that could turn out true, that the sisters could see each other, being both… Dead.

She was very serene. Even in her gloomy demeanor, she seemed to be very quiet, almost like she was happy. You were reading some comic magazine beside her, just keeping her company, but that serenity was odd, coming from her. You decided to talk with her, see if anything was wrong.

"You OK, sis?" You asked her, probing for some info.

She nodded, silently. She wasn't smiling or anything, just irradiated a feeling of peacefulness.

"That's OK, I guess…" You say, getting comfortable again, opening your magazine again.

You thought she was feeling somewhat good again. You didn't really know how her illness worked. Depression sounded like something where you were sad all the time, but you couldn't really distinguish sadness in your sister. She always was so dark, brooding, silent. You could never tell how she truly felt. So it surprised you when you hear her whimper, and then break out crying.

You didn't know how to react back then, aside from trying to hug her, pat her shoulders.

"I saw her…" She whispers now that you hold her in your arms. "Just like I told you that time…"

"Yeah?" You asked her then, and do now again.

"She was happy to see me… But told me it's not my time…" She said between tears back then and barely can murmur now.

"She's right, sis…" You answered. "She's still right", you say now, holding your tears.

"I want to be with her again…"

"We all do".

"I… I'm sorry…" She cried over your shoulder, and now you feel her tears over your hand.

"Don't worry, sis… I'm here for you. You can cry".

You both cried.

You both cry.

Lucy has been saved.

There are still mysteries unresolved.

END OF CHAPTER TWO

shugg-oth gof'nn


	3. Chapter 3: Twin Souls

Godless Sound

A Loud House Interactive Story

CHAPTER THREE: Twin Souls

Nightmares are common after trauma. A broken family is prone to live with them, or live in them. There hasn't been one night where someone in the house has not woken up in the middle of the night, their hearts racing, their chests pressed, and their eyes swollen. And there has not been a day where at least one discussion has to be defused or a fight to be stopped. After a while, people learn to live with conflict, but nightmares will never stop terrifying their hosts. There may be solace in dreams just being dreams...

But what happens when a nightmare engulfs the conscience? What would happen if an innocent life is taken by its own fears?

What happens when life has a nightmare?

Lola and Lana didn't sleep well the night of Halloween. Their older brother had to go calm them down, even, going to their room, staying awake with them until they felt better. The twins have been sharing the same bed ever since. And, although Lana seems to stop waking up due to them, Lola couldn't have a good night's sleep. At first it was just an annoyance. She'd joke about not having her beauty rest. But the many bad nights led her to be tired all the time, and her health was affected by it. As she got sicker, the terrors got worse. She mumbled during the nights about horrors attacking her, cutting her skin, ripping her flesh. Lana was worried about her, but what can just a little girl do? She wanted her siblings to help, but there seemed to be so many things happening, nobody seemed to have time.

But she knew this was a mystery that couldn't go unsolved.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

It has been almost a week since Lucy's incident. She came back home after a few days on psych ward and recovering from her wounds. She acts as dark as ever, but you can see brightness in her eyes hiding behind the lustrous black hair. Getting out of depression, if she is ever able to do so, is a hard walk, but you're confident that your sister will be able to finally move on, and to finally accept the hardships the family has gone through, and most importantly, accept herself. Her physical wounds were not the only ones recovering.

Lola was worrying you now, but it doesn't seem like you can do anything. The doctor recommended rest and medicine for the cold. Maybe she got something at school and it incubated during Halloween. It did annoy you, however, that she was having nightmares before any other feelings of sickness, but the doctor didn't really give that much thought.

Still, it seems out of your control, so it's better to follow his orders.

It's Sunday. Leni came for the week, but you haven't been able to talk to her for many reasons. Being busy with life stopped you a couple of times, but she'd also avoid being much at home at the same time Lori was in. She stopped "going to the mall" once Lori decided to leave. You're not sure why, but not much you can do really. Luan said she'd come tonight too. It almost felt like home again to see all of them. Only Luna is left.

There was one thing bothering you a few days ago.

Both Ronnie Anne and Clyde started to ask explanations about the recent events. Clyde is still wondering what those diary entries meant, and Ronnie Anne still doesn't know what happened with Lucy at the hospital. Both situations were strange and worrying, and you've been too secretive about it. During a Friday night, both sent you a message to your phone, asking you for explanations. They talked about it between each other and they decided it was about time for an answer.

That Friday night you took a decision.

What did you decide?

CHOOSE:

TELL THE TRUTH

KEEP IT VAGUE

REMAIN SILENT

CHOSEN: TELL THE TRUTH

You decided to tell them everything, up to the crazier details, those which would be barely believable if it weren't because it involved Lisa's crazed experiments or Lucy's growls from beyond the grave. It was better to come clean with them. You can't pretend anymore around them that you're OK and everything's fine, when it clearly has affected you, and you can't shut them off your life anymore.

Obviously, they felt even more confused than before. To start believing in ghosts and spirits from one day to another is a hard task, and you're not sure if they actually believe you or if they think you're losing it. Either way, they assured you'd have their support in anything you needed.

It's good to have friends.

Back to your sisters.

You wanted to inquiry further in certain other situations. You didn't have much time during the week to keep investigating on these matters. Lucy didn't come back home until Thursday. Lynn, as usual, went out to do her sport stuff during the week, and Leni has been on and off during the whole week. You only had Saturday to catch up with them, which was the only day everyone stayed home.

You wanted to talk with all of them. It's been a while without talking to Leni, so you wanted to catch up, and, similarly with Lori, you wanted to inquire further if she remembered anything about Lily, something that could connect those days to current events.

You wanted to talk with Lucy as well, to know how she's been feeling after leaving the hospital, and inquiry further into her possession, if she saw anything else that could bring light on some questions, especially those distorted words you heard coming from her mouth during that night at the hospital.

And Lynn, of course, had some explaining to do. She was avoiding talking about the bloodied bat, and it seems to you she knows you want to ask her about it. You didn't want to believe she did anything bad, but you wouldn't be sure until she talked.

Sadly, you couldn't interrogate all of them. You only had time to talk with two of your sisters yesterday, since there was homework to be done and a sick little sister to attend.

Which sisters did you talk with?

CHOOSE TWO

LYNN

LUCY

LENI

CHOSEN: LYNN and LENI

LYNN

You had a confrontation with Lynn that Saturday, close to the night. Even though she's been warmer to everyone lately, there was still a touchy subject she would refuse to talk with you; namely, the bloodied bat. You trust that she might have had her reasons, but something happened there and maybe the voices Lucy heard were right. It chilled your bones to think about it, but there had to be a connection there.

"Please, Lynn" You said to her, in her room, doors closed. "I need to know what you did. I won't judge you, but it's very important".

"Why do you care of what I did?" She said, a little pissed off, arms crossed, as she kept looking outside through her room's window. "The past is the past. It's done. There's nothing to discuss".

"Look, if you did anything bad, I'm sure you had your reasons. I know you're not a bad person".

Lynn let her arms down, refusing to look in your direction. However, her tone changed to a more passive, but somber one.

"Like you would know…"

"Lynn…"

She turned back to you. She was dead serious.

"Stop trying to uncover every little secret, Lincoln. Some of us want to keep some of them buried".

You sighed deeply, your hand over your face, massaging your eyes.

"Lynn, I can understand if it hurts you to talk about it, but I really need to know. There are things…" You doubted if to continue that sentence.

She snores at your remark, crossing her arms again, looking back through the windows. The grey clouds engulfed the sky, but no signs of rain coming. Maybe they announced something else.

"Sure, keep digging, Linc. Keep doing that and one day you'll unearth bodies you didn't want to see".

Frustrated, you grab her shoulder, making her turn to you again.

"Lynn, this is serious. I'm not pushing just because I want to know. God knows I've learned of more things that I'd ever wish to… But it's very important for me to know".

She moved far from the window and closer to you, very confrontational, almost intimidating.

"Are you sure you want to know what I did?" She questioned. "Do you want your illusion of cute sisters being always nice girls who do no wrong to break apart?".

You tried to keep a poker face on her blunt remarks. She still had a lot of venom in her, many things she has been repressing. It even made you wonder if your other sisters were also hiding some secret feelings under the rug.

"OK, I can tell, but I want to know things too", she shoots at you. "You told me you'd explain me why you were doing so many awkward questions, the day Lucy cut herself. I'm still waiting".

She crossed her arms, looking at you. You did avoid talking to her about the ethereal bodies' thing.

Telling her up to the last detail was one option. She deserved to know about the current events, even more if she was somehow involved in them. You wanted to avoid that, but you guessed it was already too late. She's holding a piece to this big puzzle, and you had to give something in return for it.

Another was just a summary, so she could get the gist of it, without involving her too much. You didn't know if that would leave her with more questions than answers, and maybe she would not be of much help further down the road, but she'd be safe from the horrors you've already faced, and you were sure you'd delve even deeper in them.

Or you could have kept your mouth shut, and keep her completely out of your investigative endeavors. You were sure she'd get mad at you, and you'll probably have to investigate the bloodied bat yourself to get the answers you need, but it'd be better for her safety.

What did you decide?

CHOOSE:

TELL HER EVERYTHING

GIVE A BRIEF SUMMARY

REFUSE TO TALK

CHOSEN: TELL HER EVERYTHING

It took time, but you filled Lynn in with every detail you could think of. She deserved to know, really. She really got surprised, and even doubted if to believe you or not. However, it seemed a lot of things that happened to her started to make sense now.

"Wait… So then Maggie…?"

"Who's Maggie?"

She told you about this "Maggie" she met time ago, then about how both hanged out together at her place, how they became close friends and all, until last week…

"She started acting strange, while we were watching a movie… She got a little too close to me. I thought at first it was just a misunderstanding, until I noticed her voice change and her grip on my arm go strong…And then she attacked me, and I…"

She stopped there, giving you the impression of a very bad end to that story. However, you'd feel a lot more relieved once she continued.

"She's alive", Lynn said, a bit jittery. "I hurt her so much… Did I get possessed at some point too?"

"I'd ask Lisa about it to be sure, but it seems likely. She told me the spectre had to come from you, somehow, so maybe that friend of yours is the piece we were missing…"

She acted with a lot of disbelief, however. She couldn't believe her friend would be involved in that kind of things.

"She was a little broody and all, and liked some dark stuff, but she was a wuss, she couldn't stand seeing blood and barely could watch horror movies, as much as she liked them. Could she really be into that?".

"We can't be sure, unless…"

You two decided to check up on her, maybe investigate her background. Lynn has gone to the hospital she's in, but she never got close to her. She felt too bad to do an official visit. You'd go to the hospital with her next week, after class. This girl sounded familiar to you, but you're not sure where you've heard of her, if you ever did. Whoever she is, or whatever are her intentions, you'd find out in the next days.

Lynn feels a lot more involved with your search now. She also needed some answers, and knowing how there is a connection between what happened to her and current events, she wants to help you however she can.

LYNN JOINS THE PARTY

LENI

As for your other sister...

The morning was surprisingly sunny for the cold winter winds approaching, and you saw your second oldest sister taking a walk. She's been a bit avoidant, but she greeted you with the warmth she always had for the family.

"Hi, Lincoln!" She said to you as she saw you approaching her at the front yard's walkway.

"Hi!" You salute back. "I wanted to catch up with you, do you mind if we talk a bit?"

"Like, sure!" She says, smiling. "Anything for my little bro!".

You both get in and sit at the couch. Everyone was doing their own thing, so it was only you two there, with only the pets around as your witnesses. You swallowed a bit, because you knew your sister might not take the subject matter of your questions lightly. She seems to be completely unaware of your nervousness, however. She was busy petting ol' Charles and being blissfully unaware of the mood. Her ditziness hasn't changed in all these years, and the last three or four months have been no exception.

"So.." You start slowly, "There is something that has been bothering me these days. I wanted to ask you about Lily's summer school".

Leni stops playing with the old dog. Although her happy face didn't change much, you could perceive a bit of worry in her face.

"Oh, what about that? Did something else happen there?" She questions back, smiling to you, but with a slight stutter.

"Well, I've been trying to remember about those days, but I can't. I know why she went to that school, and which days, but for the life of me, I can't even remember when I went with her, and I used to go a lot. Do you remember anything about the school?".

Leni plays with her fingers and such, looking away to the window. Maybe she would have preferred to go to the mall again.

"Sure but, like, can't you be a bit more specific? I remember well, but I don't know where you're going here".

What did you want to ask?

INSERT QUESTIONS: _

Questions given marked by

Did you ever go there, maybe with her?

"Oh, no. I went out during Saturdays with Lori. I remember it was mostly you or Lynn who dropped her off at that place. For all Lily said though, it seemed like a nice place to go! It's sad you don't remember, you surely saw it up close at some point!".

It weirded you out how you couldn't remember a thing, no matter how hard you tried.

Did Lily say anything about it (the school)?

Leni seemed a bit doubtful of her own words. Maybe she didn't remember as well as she thought.

"She didn't say much about the school itself, I think... Like, I know said she liked going, and had lots of fun with friends, but we never knew about the activities"

Did she make any friends while she was there?

"I believe so! She always talked about the good friends she made there, even though she never really mentioned anyone in specific... But she always came back with a smile on her face! It was so cute!"

Do you remember anything about the... last few days in particular that might be connected to the classes?

"Oh..."

Her smile kind faded away at that moment. It came back, but more from the melancholy and nostalgia of the lost sibling rather than the blissful happiness she usually irradiates.

"Sadly, I was out that day too... But I remember her being happy about going there. She said her friends had something special for that day, and she would have so much fun and..."

She stops a bit. A very short pause, almost unnoticeable. Almost.

"I came back home when mom called. Lori and I had a fight, and then I had a fight with mom and dad... It wasn't a pretty day".

The staff, was there anything of note about them?

"Lily didn't talk about the teachers or her classmates, except saying it was fun to be there and how she couldn't wait for the next week. I do remember hearing mom and dad talk about how good it was to know some 'Dr. Gilman' was part of it, however. He sounded like a very smart guy!"

What about the grounds?

"I remember you and Lynn complaining of how far it was to go there. It was by the edge of Royal Woods. I saw some pictures in the internet. It seemed like a nice place, very modern-looking! I also remember our parents saying it was something managed by a university in another state. How was it called again? Misk-something-something. I don't remember that well".

Friends, bullies, teachers?

"Now that I remember, she did talk about one friend she made there. She talked about a boy that always played with her, and they had a lot of things in common. He was from a big family too, Lily said. His name, however, I don't remember if she ever said anything about it".

After that flurry of questions, Leni felt a little bit intrigued. She always had a couple of marbles loose but she wasn't completely oblivious to her surroundings. She could see something was going on with you.

"Well, now that I answered aaaall of your questions", she started, in a playful tone, "how about YOU tell me something now?"

"What kind of thing?" You asked, playing dumb.

"Well, I've heard things! I've heard you mumbling about stuff with Lisa, and I know she's always up to something".

"That's very observant of you..." You muttered, unsure of what she wanted from you.

"Oh, you silly!" She said, with a chuckle. "I know I'm not the smartest, but I know stuff happens! And going by all the things that have happened in this house, it seems you're hiding quite a lot of gossip under the rug!"

Even though her way to talk was pretty common for her, she seemed to be a bit too aware.

"So, like, will you tell me what's up?

You're not sure how much you can let Leni know about the recent events. She surely knows a bit, but not enough so she would get involved. Maybe it'd be better to keep her away from all the knowledge you've gathered, either throwing her off with some white lies or just refusing to talk.

Or you could let her know. She IS your sister after all, and even if she can't stay for much longer (she has to go back to her place at some point), maybe she'd be more helpful, and she already was proving to be more resourceful than you thought of her.

What did you do?

CHOOSE:

LET HER KNOW

TELL HER SOME LIES

REMAIN SILENT

CHOSEN: LET HER KNOW

You decided to tell her. In the end, it was better for, at least, your siblings to know.

Leni tended to be a bit gullible, but she wasn't buying this, until she saw your completely serious face.

"I-Is this true?" She asked, a bit scared. "There are ghosts and stuff? That's what has been affecting our family all this time?"

"At least the most recent events", you explain. "I have certain doubts about the past too, which is why I'm making these questions. Everything seems to be connected, and I want to get the truth out".

Leni stood up from her seat in the couch, and did some yoga exercises. That surprised you a bit, but it made sense. Anything worked to calm herself down, maybe.

"Inhale... Exhale..." She repeated to herself, as she stretched her arms up in the air, eyes closed.

"Uh... Leni?"

"Ssshh, Linc, don't you see I'm relaxing? Don't mess up my aura".

"Leni, this is serious".

"And I'm serious too!" She says, turning to you. She wasn't angry, but she seemed a bit annoyed. "You can't just tell me about this stuff and expect me to take it lightly! I'm a grown woman now, and I know I'm not smart, but I don't need to be protected and get told of how to take things!"

She sighed after that outburst. It threw you off at first. However, any kind of reaction was understandable.

"Sorry Linky, I didn't want to be mean to you... I want to help, okay? I want to be useful now. I want our family back".

She took a seat again, and smiled to you as she held one of your hands.

"And if all this ghost-y stuff is what is keeping it apart, then I want to help you as much as I can".

You nodded gratefully to her, and both of you hugged for a long while. It felt so good to have your family, to know you didn't have to fight alone...

LENI HAS JOINED THE PARTY

THE NIGHTMARE STARTS

All those memories from the last days are interrupted by your mom calling you.

"Lincoln! Come here, dear!" You hear mom calling from the kitchen, breaking your concentration.

Maybe you did enough research, anyways. Your sick sister aside, it has been a calm week. You could have a rest.

It's lunch time. You've been bringing Lola's meals to her bed these days, and probably mom is already done preparing the platter.

You go fast down the stairs, as you see your family taking their seats. Leni's talking about whatever with dad, Lucy and Lynn sitting beside each other, and Lisa and Lana helping mom to bring the food to the table and Lola's platter. Everyone seemed so content now. It has been a long while since everyone sat there without any palpable tension. That's good to see.

"Here, Lincoln", mom says, handing Lola's meal to you, and turning to Lana. "Lana, will you eat with your sister again?"

"Yeah, I'm going right away!"

She cheerfully grabs another platter and prepares it with her own meal, and walking in front of you to get to the room.

"C'mon, Linc! Don't just stand there!" The tomboy twin says, as she runs upstairs, hurrying you.

"Lana, don't run on the stairs!" Mom orders to her aloud.

"I'M NOT!" She answered, shouting already from the second floor.

You just shrug and smile, as you start walking to Lola's room. You hear from upstairs how Lana tries to wake her sister up.

"Hey, Lola, stop being so lazy and wake up, it's lunch time".

It's endearing to see how the twins' friendship has endured so many things. Every sibling tends to grow apart of each other as they get older, but they've been sticking together for all the time you could remember.

"C'mon sis, you've slept all morning already, wake up!"

Your feminine little sister has felt very tired these days, even if she doesn't do much. It happens when one is sick, you guess, so you didn't mind.

"Lola? Lola, please, open your eyes".

Lana's worried now, you can hear it in her tone. You're getting a bit worried as well. Lola is a heavy sleeper, but not this much.

"Lola! Wake up! Wake up Lola, wake up, WAKE UP!"

You hear a plate break, as you approach the second floor.

"Please, Lola! Don't do this to us! Don't do this to me!"

You leave the food at one of the stair steps, as you run into the twins' room. Lana is still trying to wake her sister up, shaking her, kneeling beside the bed, a platter on the ground with broken dishes, and you see Lola's eyes closed shut, and no reaction to her twin's efforts. Her eyes wouldn't open, she wouldn't move, she wouldn't flinch.

Like in eternal sleep.

"Wake up, please… Don't leave us too…"

CATALEPSY

The doctor couldn't give a convincing explanation as to what is happening to her. The doctor said she wasn't sleeping, but not exactly in a coma either. He said it could be a strange case of catalepsy or catatonia. Convinced by Lisa, who told mom and dad she had a friend that could help them, they decided to bring her back home instead of staying at the hospital. However, you could smell Lisa had something else in mind. She cited you at her bedroom at around four.

It's time now.

When the time came, you entered her room. You see her working on stuff, wearing her lab coat and very concentrated. You see her observing a weird glass container, which has Lisa's laptop connected at the base through a cable. The case seems empty.

"What are you doing, Lisa?"

"I'm using the spectre we captured as a medium to communicate with Dr. Curwen".

That statement left you dumbfounded, and once again, you contain your mood to not burst out with a loud exclamation.

"You still have the spectre here?!" You exclaim, but whispering, walking with heavy steps towards your mad genius of a sister.

"I expected that reaction from you, and I understand your concerns", she deadpans, adjusting her glasses. "I care for the safety of our family as much as you. However, I couldn't let this opportunity to pass".

This is getting you on edge. You really don't want to make a scandal, but you think this is too irresponsible from your sister.

CHOOSE DIALOG:

(Annoyed) Don't you think we had enough trouble with this already?

(Inquisitive) What opportunity, exactly? And who's Dr. Curwen?

(Sarcastic) This "opportunity "sure is worth risking our family further then, right?

(Remain silent)

CHOSEN: INQUISITIVE

You manage to bottle up that anger for now, and decide to just keep digging for info, as usual.

"What opportunity, exactly? And who's Dr. Curwen?"

"The opportunity of furthering our knowledge of the paranormal sciences, of course", she says, surprisingly calm. "Dr. Curwen is the reason I wanted you to come here".

You notice a little unlabeled bottle of pills right at her side. It was almost empty. Lisa turns to you, rotating her chair.

"Dr. Curwen is the main investigator working on this forgotten scientific field. She was hard to reach, but I managed to contact and work with her these last days".

"What kind of work, exactly?" You ask.

"I've consulted her about many of the situations we've confronted lately, and she shed some light on them. Maybe if you have any questions, I could ask her later".

You consider the offer. It'd be good to have another genius to bounce information off, even more if this particular scientist is the forefront of this eldritch science.

What do you want to ask?

INSERT QUESTION : _

QUESTIONS SELECTED:

Does she know of anybody who could've called the specter?

Has she dealt with something like this before?

have checked the rest of the family for susceptibility to other spectres influence?

.

"Alright, your questions have been noted", Lisa says, typing them on her laptop. "Dr. Curwen has to leave now, anyways, so she'll answer us later".

"I imagined she'd participate in this reunion of sorts, being the 'reason' for it?" You comment.

"Well, her knowledge is the reason. Don't be so literal"

Lisa turns a knob at the base of the container, and hands you a pair of headphones. You put them on you when she signals you to do so. However, you don't hear anything unusual, just a bit of static.

"Nothing's happening".

"Patience, brother, patience…" She says, alternating her look of expectation between the laptop's screen and the crystal container.

You see how the screen displays a frequency signal, which seems unmoving at first, but as you start hearing weird sounds on the headphones, the line vibrates. Nothing intelligible can be heard, but it sounds like a voice. The voice becomes stronger and stronger, you can hear some words now.

"Next... in the Egypt…"

"What is this?" You ask to Lisa, with a bit of caution.

"The results of years of research by Dr. Curwen", she answers, with a bit of pride. "Of course, with a little help of my own".

The words start being louder and deeper. It's a baritone, kind of demonic voice, like the one you heard from Lucy at the hospital. You see the container light up, slowly, until a sudden burst of a red light booms inside it, almost blinding you. The voice is clearly audible now, much to your dismay.

"How little does the earth self know life and its extent!" You hear now, clearly in that voice from beyond existence. "How little, indeed, ought it to know for its own tranquility!"

"What the hell, Lisa?" You manage to blurt out, still shocked.

"Spectres lack sentience and purpose, by default", she starts explaining. "But a conscience can be given to them. They can be used that way".

"So wait, what I'm hearing here", you start asking, removing the headphones from your ears to stop listening to that hellish voice, "was 'programmed' by you or that other doctor?"

"We worked together to develop this mechanism, and it's barebones still", she continues, although with noticeable loftiness. "The message is something Dr. Curwen wanted to write in".

Lisa acted very calm before, but she was surprisingly excited now.

"Well, very impressive, I can see, but why should it interest me?" You ask now, searching for somewhere to take a seat.

"I'm guessing you can't grasp the implications of our breakthrough discovery, so I'll spell it out for you so your brain can chew on it and hopefully digest it", Lisa verbosely answers. "The spectre that has put our sisters in danger was given an order by someone else".

You don't answer anything back. To know someone wanted people dead for whatever reason is a huge discovery and enormously disturbing.

"The process is very complicated to do, but easy to explain. Basically, the spectre is given a little bit of the user's own soul, and an order is implanted in it. The spectre will follow that one command at any costs".

"So… Whoever sent this spectre wanted people dead for whatever ulterior reasons?"

"I don't know if there's any real purpose in ritual sacrifice, but that's our best guess".

You take a deep breath. Your head hurts, it's just so much you've been processing recently, you're not even sure if you have a clear understanding of what's real anymore or not. Just two weeks ago, ghosts didn't exist at all; it was just things from a stupid show in TV and videogames. But now you don't know what to believe in.

INSANITY LEVELS RISING

0…1

"I have a question for you, Lincoln", Lisa proceeds, not moving from her seat, a sleepy groan escaping her mouth. "Have you talked with any of our sisters about the current events?"

"I have told Lynn and Leni, I hope it isn't much trouble for you, but they had the right to know".

Lisa gets in a more thoughtful pose.

"I guess you didn't have any choice either. Lynn is involved, whether we like it or not. I think we should talk to Lucy about this as well".

"What about Lana?"

Lisa acts a bit doubtful to that proposition.

"I'm not sure. She's twelve and…"

"You're ten".

"What I mean is", she continues, "I believe she's not mature enough. I would've avoided talking with Leni as well, but I guess it's too late for that".

You don't comment on it further. You're not sure yourself on what to do now, really.

"Anyways…" Your mad genius sister yawns, as she reaches for a pill in her desk, "I need to know also if anybody else knows".

Considering Lisa's stance on secretiveness, you're not sure if to let your sister know about you spilling the beans on your friends. You totally trust them, and you know they'd never betray your trust, but you don't know how Lisa could take it.

What will you say to her?

CHOOSE:

TELL THE TRUTH

MAKE SOMETHING UP

CHOSEN: TELL THE TRUTH

"WELL..." You start, caressing the back of your head. You can feel Lisa's eyes stabbing you at the forehead, piercing like two coffin nails.

"Lincoln..."

"I had to tell my friends", you finally say, getting it out of your chest. "They got involved too, you know. Clyde helped me finding you with your crazy scribbles and Ronnie Anne saved me from Lucy killing me. I owed them an explanation".

Lisa takes her glasses off, cleans the steam, and swallows the pill she took from the desk.

"You shouldn't. Maybe they did get involved, but we can NOT risk this getting out of our family".

"So you can tell that Dr. Curwen about us but I can't tell my friends?"

"It's completely different, Lincoln!" She suddenly shouts, losing her emotionless composture. "She is the ONLY one, maybe in this whole damn country that has the SLIGHTEST idea of what could be happening to us! They may be your friends and maybe they managed to do something to help you, but that's completely coincidental!"

"It was not!" You protest back, but trying to keep your voice down, lest you let your parents know too. "They helped without even asking at first, and they can be helpful! If it wasn't for Ronnie Anne I'd be dead, and if it wasn't by Clyde you'd be still hugging Lily's corpse and cry..."

You stop yourself there, and you see Lisa's face change to something else. Still angry, but you could see some sadness there.

There's a long silence between you. A very awkward one, to say the least.

"Lisa..."

"We'll talk later", she says, calming down. "Talk with Lynn and Leni too. I'll talk with Lucy and let her know. We'll meet here in a moment to take action on Lola's affliction".

So she knows, you think to yourself.

"Can't it be now?"

"You need to calm down. I need it too. Get out".

She turns back to her laptop, and goes completely mute. You don't have much choice but to take her "advice".

What to do now?

CHOOSE:

TALK TO YOUR SISTERS (LENI or LYNN)

TALK WITH FRIENDS (CLYDE or RA)

FREE ROAM (INSERT COMMAND)

CHOSEN: TALK TO YOUR SISTERS (LYNN)

LYNN

Lynn is in her room, surprisingly not exercising this time, but reading, laying on her bed. That's kind of odd. You can't really see the book she's reading now though.

"Hey", you say to her, entering her room slowly.

She sees you by the corner of her eye, but she keeps reading anyways.

"Sup".

"What are you reading?" You ask, very curious.

"A book Lucy lent me. Something written by some 'Lovecraft' guy. Boy does this hit home now, huh".

You chuckle. It kinda does. You were not very familiar with him either, but you knew whatever that man wrote way back seems too real nowadays.

"Listen", you say, getting closer to her, "Lisa wants all the sisters to gather at her room. She seems to have a plan to deal with Lola".

"Does she?" She asks, taking her eyes off the book. "Wait, so this is also some ghost stuff going on?"

"I'm afraid so".

"Shit..." She interjects, standing up. "So like, right now?"

You consider if going right now or not. You literally just fought with Lisa, might as well take some time.

"Not now NOW, but soon".

"Oh, OK, then, tell me when".

She gets to read again, as you dumbfoundly stand there, not knowing how to proceed. You could talk a bit with your sister about whatever, maybe inquiry further on things, or just have a friendly talk. God knows you haven't had one in a while already.

Or you could leave and do something else. Report to Leni, talk with your friends, or whatever.

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LYNN (IF CHOSEN, INSERT DIALOG: _ )

LEAVE

if leaving:

TALK TO FRIENDS (RA or CLYDE)

FREE ROAM (INSERT COMMAND)

CHOSEN: FREE ROAM: TALK WITH LENI AND LYNN

"I'm going to talk with Leni too now".

"Wait", Lynn says, leaving the book at her side, standing up from the bed. "She knows about this too?"

"I told her. It's better if more of us know".

"Oh boy, and how did she react?", she asks, a bit curious.

"I don't really know. Fine, I guess. Anyways..." You start going out the door, but Lynn interrupts you.

"I'll go with you. Since we all are on this, might as well talk with her too, y'know?"

It sounds somewhat sensible, so you don't oppose her. You both go out the room and go talk with Leni.

She's been sleeping at your room lately. Sharing the bed with her is a bit uncomfortable, since your mattress isn't exactly king-size, but you managed. After all, it's your sister, so compromises must be done from time to time. Sure, there was Lily's room, still empty ever since Lisa abandoned it, but nobody wants to be there. With the recent events, it doesn't feel just weird; it might even be a little frightening.

You see your older sister packing her things. You almost forgot she has to leave tomorrow early. Still, maybe she can still be of help, as long as she stays.

"Hey, Leni!" Lynn says, getting in front of you.

Your ditzy sister gasps at the sudden salutation, but breathes calmly again at seeing you two.

"Hi sis! Hi Lincoln!" She responds, waving her hand.

"You leaving now?" You joke, getting into your room.

"Oh, of course not, silly! You know my flight is for tomorrow!"

As literal as ever.

"Leni, Lisa needs us", You tell her, getting in a more serious tone.

"Huh? Why?" She asks, closing one of her many bags.

"Remember that stuff we talked about yesterday?"

Leni doesn't know if to say yes or no. She directs her sight to Lynn, with a doubtful expression.

"Don't worry, I know too", Lynn says to calm her down.

"Oh, good!" Leni then says. "What's up then?"

"We have to go to Lisa's room soon".

However, should you go right away?

What will you do now?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH YOUR SISTERS (GIVE DIALOG)

TALK WITH FRIENDS (CLYDE or RA)

UNLOCKED: TALK WITH LANA

FREE ROAM (GIVE COMMANDS)

CHOSEN: TALK WITH LANA

.

You let your other two sisters talk a while. They seem to have a bit to catch up anyways, since they started talking between each other while you decided on your next action.

However, you have something else in mind now, or more precisely, someone else.

Your little sister Lana is very affected by Lola's current state. She knows she has her whole family to support her, but you know she relied on Lola the most. They were truly united: their souls were melded, maybe forever.

You go to the twins' rooms. You see Lola sleeping at her own bed, while Lana silently plays with her pet lizard. She's, of course, not in a good mood, laying on the bed, feeling the reptile's scales with her hand, caressing the animal's head.

You knock politely on her door.

"Hey, Lana, do you have a minute?" You ask to her.

She nods, standing up and putting Izzy II back into its cage. She sits at the edge of the bed, looking to the other side of the room. The side Lola's in, paralyzed, in a deep, dark slumber.

You can't see her like that. It pains you. You went there to just check on her, but you feel like you should be sincere and talk with her about what's going on with her twin sister. Lisa may be right, maybe not. But you don't know if it's correct to keep your tomboyish little sister in the dark about the wellbeing of her own sibling, especially now that everybody knows.

Then again, who knows, maybe Lisa is right and telling her could be very bad. You don't really know how she'd react, so caution might be good.

"So, Lana..."

What will you say?

CHOOSE

TELL HER THE TRUTH

JUST CHECK ON HER

CHOSEN: JUST CHECK ON HER

"Hmm?"

You sigh, entering the bedroom and sitting beside her. You thought on telling her about all the crazy stuff going on, maybe the truth would be better. But then, maybe it's your resentment with the fight you had five minutes ago with Lisa. She's smarter than you, there's no doubt on it, and she's right. Telling a little twelve-year-old about the insanity you've been exposing yourself to is not good for her own health, and you have enough with one little sister being struck by your family's bad luck.

"I wanted to check on you, really", you finally say to her, hugging her with one arm. "How do you feel right now?"

She doesn't answer right away. She just lays her eyes on the ground, looking at her own feet.

"I'm... I'm not OK", she answers, very sincerely. "I'm sad. I feel like I failed her..."

You can totally relate to that feeling. You've been doing many things to help your sisters out of the many troubles your family has been surrounded by lately.

"I know it's dumb", she continues, with a pained smirk on her face, scratching her eyes. "But I'm the older twin, right? Shouldn't I help her? And I don't know how".

You hug your little sister tighter with your arm, resting your head over hers.

"I know, I know... I feel the same way, you know?"

"I just wish she woke up..."

It's surprising how she doesn't cry. She's reacting very strongly to the whole thing. She barely cried when Lola didn't wake up at lunch time, even though you could see a few tears and hear her crackling voice. But she endured, and even though she's still feeling terrible, she won't budge.

"I want that too".

You both hug for a while. By the corner of your eye, you see Lisa peeking on. She throws a distrustful look at you, but she leaves soon after.

Seems like it's time for the reunion.

You separate from your little sister and kiss her on the forehead. She seems to smile a bit.

"Thanks, Lincoln".

"Don't mind it. Gotta go now. Be safe".

THE REUNION

You go to Lisa's room back again. It's time for the "meeting". Both Lynn and Leni walk in with you, an everyone gets to sit somewhere. Lynn sits on the floor, while Leni on the bed. You just stand there, as you see Lisa walk to the door and lock it up.

She seems to not be as angry to you as she was just a while ago, but you guess she's just being very good at hiding her feelings.

She turns to everyone and walks to her desk seat.

"Thanks to my colleague", Lisa says, while conspicuously grabbing a pill from her desk and swallowing it, "I might know why our sister is in her catatonic state".

"Does it have anything to do with the spectre you're still keeping?" You react, a bit confrontationally.

"Lincoln, please…" Lisa adjust her glasses and continues. "The reasons might be related, but I can assure you, there is no way this is the spectre's doing".

"But they have the same origin?" Lynn interjects. She seems to still be trying to grasp all the crazy stuff going on.

"Unfortunately, yes", she answers. "I've done a few scans and talked with my colleague about the recent events, and whoever made the spectre attack our family, also has Lola imprisoned in her own body".

"Imprisoned? How?" Leni asks, confused.

"It's hard to explain, but according to a few theories from Dr. Curwen, there might be some ethereal influence on her, keeping our sister in this deep slumber".

She goes on a long diatribe, trying to explain to all of you how the whole thing works, and being very illustrative about it, considering Leni's presence. But everything could be summarized in two words.

"Interplanar stimulus", Lisa says. "Our unknown 'enemy' is influencing our sister's body and mind through her dreams. not completely sure on how it works exactly, so there's very few ways we can actually attack the source".

"Who do I have to kick then?" Lynn says, standing up, getting ready.

"We can't track the culprit, but I have an idea on how to deal with his influence".

You don't really know where she's going, and what she says next catches you a bit off-guard.

"We'll try to do the same our common enemy is doing. We will enter Lola's dream".

PREPARATIONS FOR THE DREAM

Entering a "dream world" sounds like stuff from movies, but you're not sure if you are in any position to dismiss it as fiction. You could only trust in Lisa's research and reasoning, even if you have the suspicions that the latter is not in a good shape.

The course of action was simple. Lucy was informed of this beforehand, and she would help by being a distraction: she'd accompany mom and dad to pick up Luan at the airport, and everyone else would help Lisa in organizing the gadgets and gizmos Lisa had for the intervention. Obviously, there is still a problem: Lana. Lisa wanted to avoid her meddling at all costs, so her wellbeing isn't at risk, but Lana's being very insistent on participating on whatever the rest was doing. She may have been left out of the reunion, but nobody needed a special kind of perception to know all of you were up to something. Lisa is still adamant on keeping her out, but you're having second thoughts. You wonder if there's any other reason. You know there is danger, you lived it yourself. But what kind of problem could there be in navigating dreams? Of course, Lisa had an explanation.

"I'm afraid of what could happen to Lana. Our twin siblings don't only match in their genetics, but also their souls seem to be linked".

"How so?"

"There is a certain 'resonance' measurable that determines the mind's strength against possessions or other kind of ethereal manipulation. Linked souls work as one, and they're stronger against those influences if they're together", Lisa explains, while wiring some stuff to Lola's forehead. "All of us as a family resonate on a spectrum, but Lola and Lana are an exact match… or were until recently".

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, I'm guessing it's the influence of the enemy we're trying to catch. Their link was broken, which made one of them vulnerable. I fear that if Lana intervenes, this catatonic state jumps from one sister to another".

You keep observing as your brown-haired little sister plugs and unplugs stuff, turns knobs and switches. It was definitely only her left hand last time you checked, you're sure of that.

"Luckily, we managed to find the source of the problem quickly. We staved off the cerebral death this time".

"This time? Wait, you mean—"

"Are you ready?" Lisa interrupts, stopping your train of thought. "If you have anything else to do, do it now".

You consider it. You didn't have much time, mom and dad would be around in two hours, and you didn't know how long this experiment would last. At most, you'd have ten minutes, tops, so there's only one thing you could actually do.

What do you want to do?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH A SISTER (If so, choose: LANA, LISA, LENI, LYNN)

TALK WITH A FRIEND (If so, choose: CLYDE, RONNIE ANNE)

HAVE A BREATHER (Suggest action)

JUMP RIGHT IN

CHOSEN: JUMP RIGHT IN

Enough with waiting, it's time to work.

You grab some cables Lisa gave you and put them on the markings she drew on you, while looking at Lola's mirror. Of course, you offered to be both the guinea pig and rescuer of your little sister, but considering the strain your mind would undergo, your little genius sister considered plugging you into the machines along with another sibling. Lucy was acting as a distraction, and Lisa had the task to monitor the vital signs of Lola, you and whoever would accompany you in this peculiar journey, so it was either the sporty girl or the ditz. Both offered to help, but since one of them should keep Lana off limits for the duration of the procedure, one of them should stay.

It's up to you to choose your partner.

CHOOSE

LYNN

LENI

CHOSEN: LYNN

The machinery Lisa made for this process looks very improvised, sort to speak. You're sure there are bits of what used to be the bunker there, as well as other inventions your sister have made over the years. You can even recognize the watch you used to capture the spectre just a few days ago. You wonder when Lisa even had the time to work so much. You've been sleeping with her ever since last week, so you're not sure if it was made during the night. Then again, you've been sleeping heavily lately and you were going to high school, so you don't know half of the stuff your family has been up to.

You notice her hands as well, while she sets up the tools. Which hand did have the severed finger, again?

Your divagations are stopped when Lisa gives the signal.

Everything settled. It's time.

"Are you ready?" Lisa asks.

"Whenever you are", you answer.

"As ready as I can be", Lynn answers, sitting in a very meditative position on the floor.

"OK. I'll give you some warnings that I hope can stay in your subconscious" She says, while she starts preparing some syringes. "Once you manage to enter in the dreaming state, it's very probable you won't be able to remember what your true purpose is. I'll try to communicate with you the best I can, but I can't assure you the message will go through clearly. Have patience and search for them".

Once the syringes are prepared, she grabs your arm and ties a rubber hose around it. She does the same with your sister. She searches for a blood vessel, and picks up one of the prepared shots.

"You'll not be in a vigil state, but you might be able to tell something to me. See whatever you can do in there and maybe I'll hear you mumble".

You look away. You're not good with needles.

"Going by the theory of interplanar stimulus, if anything surprising or powerful occurs in your dream state, the most that can happen is for you to violently wake up, so we shouldn't be facing many worries. However, if we find the responsible, somehow…"

She pinches you with the syringe, and signals you to close and open your fist a couple of times, and unties the rubber hose. She moves onto your other sister.

"I'll disconnect you from the machines at the slightest sign of trouble. No matter how close we might be of stopping the culprit, if your lives are in danger, I have no choice but to take you out".

You start to feel a bit dizzy. The anesthetics are doing their job. You were sitting on Lana's bed, but you start feeling like lying down over the soft sheets. Your other sister seems to be getting very comfortable on the carpet too. Lisa helps her lay down, and moves on to you next to do the same.

"I can't assure you of what you will see. It might be nothing, it might be very weird. Whatever Lola is dreaming may not be pretty, considering what's happening to her".

You start closing your eyes. You can barely pay attention to the real world now, being lulled into the embrace of the dreaming world.

"Good luck, brother and sister. I can only hope Lola can be…"

You hear a door slam in your half-asleep state, you can't really see what's happening, nor worry about it. You're too close to dreaming now, and the worries of the real world seem so distant. Nothing matters anymore. The reality fades away, as you open the door and take the first steps to the Dreamlands.

THE FIRST STEPS: RUINS OF A KINGDOM

You are now The Hooded Spade.

Your travels have brought you to a very strange and distant land. What once was a thriving kingdom, now seems to be a decaying reign. Many houses burned down and charred corpses fill your nostrils.

As you walk around the streets with your companion, you get closer to what seems to be the plaza. You're surprised to see survivors of the blight that purged the town. They cover themselves in their sheets, and worship the statue of what you came to know as The Immortal Princess, the ruler of this devastation.

You search between your pockets for a certain item. That mysterious wizard who sent you on this mission gave you a message and a strange spherical object, like a crystal ball, which would serve to communicate with her, somehow. Right now, you needed to consult the papyrus once more. The letter had a very simple, but cryptic, message:

"Drink the nectar and bring the Lost Warrior, so peace can be recovered".

Only this clue and directions to this place punished by disaster brought you here. There is nothing else guiding you.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

TALK TO YOUR COMPANION

TALK TO THE TOWNSFOLK

SCAVENGE

CHOSEN: TALK TO YOUR COMPANION

You direct your view to your friend, as you start walking through the charred streets.

"Do you know anything about this kingdom?" You ask, while looking at the devastation around you.

"I only know the rumors", The Lupine Barbarian, your fierce companion, answers. "A kingdom ruled by a spoiled princess born in a golden cradle, watching over her sovereignty from the Impossible Castle. She was a good ruler, nonetheless. But one day a strange visitor came, and the town turned on their royalty in a crazed rage that he instigated. I don't know much more".

"I'm guessing going to the Castle would be to find more death, then", you respond, trying to find the bastion in the distance.

"Who knows", the fierce fighter retorts. "She is called The Immortal Princess, after all. Maybe the Gods had mercy on her".

What to do next?

CHOOSE:

TALKWITH THE TOWNSFOLK

SCAVENGE

CHOSEN: SCAVENGE

You and your companion check the town for anything of worth. Most of the possessions the town might've had are as usable as the burned houses that held them. There's nothing you could find, other than charred skulls and ravaged dolls from dead little girls.

"What's that smell?" Your barbaric friend asked, suddenly, following something. "The sweet blood…"

You turn to her, trying to see what she found that made her utter those words.

"Hah!" She celebrates, grabbing a bloody severed hand. "Death always brings the treasures of others to the open-eyed!"

It seems somebody was slowly dying under the rubble, and had their last gasp little time ago. You get closer and observe the bounty your companion got. The hand clenched on a paper, and had many rings on its fingers. While The Lupine Barbarian took her time to take the rings off, you checked the papyrus so tightly held.

You open it and read: "The crimson will awaken the path".

You're not sure of what it means, but you keep the papyrus anyways, just in case.

"I think we better move on" You suggest. Your companion nods and drops the dead hand once the last ring is retrieved.

What to do next?

CHOOSE

TALK WITH THE TOWNSFOLK

KEEP WALKING

CHOSEN: TALK WITH THE TOWNSFOLK

They only wail for the princess. They ask for her, they yearn her in desperation. You try to call their attention, but it's impossible to do so. They seem to be entranced in their adoration, too concentrated to know there's anything else that their object of devotion.

"There is no use to talk with these peasants", your companion says. "I can smell a rotting presence corrupting their souls".

You listen to them. You can only hear from them "Oh princess, we love you so! Give us your presence!" Over and over, or variants of that. They gasp and moan, like asphyxiated or choking.

You nod as you walk past the strange people.

There's nothing left for you to do here. You'll probably won't find anything else here. Maybe finding the castle is the only thing left.

You keep roaming the streets, searching for anything that can give you a clue. You think the only one who would know what is going on would be the princess herself, but seeing how everything looks like in the town, you are having some qualms about the ruler. She holds a big title, but it might be as real as her control over the town survivors.

The path is broken, you can't see where it is you're going. It sometimes divides and comes back, it loops and leads to wells and holes. You sort those obstacles, until you reach a cliff. The Castle is visible from there, but it's far away, separated by a deep sea. The path however, seems to lead forward, even beyond the drop. Was it always this way?

You take a peak down below. There's a big statue at the base of the cliff, washed by the constant movement of the waters. The statue seems to be looking up, with its mouth open. Its face seems painted red.

You certainly can't just walk forward, unless you pretend to drop down below. There must be another way to go

What will you do?

[INSERT COMMAND]

COMMAND GIVEN: Cut your hand and spill some blood on the statue

You grab one of your many knives under your cape and open your hand. With no hesitation, you run the edge of the blade over your skin, and feel the blood pour down. The blood goes down, some drops being moved by the wind, others going further, until they hit something solid. You wait for a couple of minutes with your wounded hand stretched over the abyss. Nothing seems to happen.

Your companion bandages your wound, looking at you with a confused expression. But when she finishes patching your hand, both of you feel the earth rumble, and see something rise from the depths. The statue you saw at the base of the cliff sees you, and puts its hand in front of the cliff. You see its hand marked with the same lines the path had. Seems like your hunch was right.

Now that you have a closer view to the statue's face, you can see why the face is red. The statue's mouth had a couple of rotten bodies and skeletons hanging from it. To say it's a repugnant sight is to put it gently.

You walk over the statue's hand, and as it clenches, the statue moves towards the far away Castle, keeping you safe from falling to the sea.

THE IMPOSSIBLE CASTLE

What seemed to you like enormous lengths, to the statue it was but mere steps. The statue leaves you at the gates, and opens them for you. The stronghold, not very surprisingly, seems deserted.

You can see better why it's called the "Impossible" Castle from up close. Its architecture doesn't make sense at all; the more you looked at it, the more confusing it was, with towers behind the walls that descended in front of them, or a gate that opened upwards to reveal stairs on the ceiling. You entered along with your companion, deciding it was better not to keep looking at the surreal geometry.

As soon as you enter, the gates close behind you. You felt yourself moving, but you weren't walking. The tunnel was pitch black, so you didn't notice when you went inside the bastion and up the central tower. The world moved around you, it seemed. Whatever happened, you were now in a dimly lighted room. You saw how from the ceiling a chain hanged, and it connected to a rusty metal hook

At the end of it, the bloodied, kneeling body of a young lady, wearing a ragged dress, dangled.

"By the Gods…" The barbarian mutters, looking at the grisly image.

You are equally surprised, and it pains you to see the lady in that state. Somehow, you feel like she's part of you, someone you have known for a long time. You get closer to her. She seemed lifeless, but as she hears your steps, the chain rattles, and her aghast screech almost deafens you.

"No, don't touch me! Please! Don't do it!" She exclaimed in horror, shaking her head, as the hook stabbing her body drained more blood. "Please listen to the plea of the Princess you claim to adore!"

You take a step back, astonished by that reaction.

"Now I can see your title of Immortal is more than mere words of royalty, o princess, but who did this to you?", The Lupine Barbarian asks, a bit struck.

The Immortal Princess cries and screams, shaking the hook that penetrates her.

"It echoes in my head, every day and every night!" She keeps wailing, rattling the chains and hurting herself even more. 'Oh princess, how we long for your voice! Oh, princess, how we long for your breath! Oh princess, how we long for your body! Oh princess, how we long for your flesh!'"

You try to calm her down, try to get closer to her, but to no avail. She's freaking out uncontrollably.

"It's an endless, disgusting and painful torture! Either let me free or let me die! Gods, please, let me die!"

You can't help her. The only thing you manage to do is to wait for her incessant lament to get lower. The Princess starts going silent again, trying to regain her breath. Her panting was agonizing. You can hear the great wound in her belly gush, as the hook penetrates her deeper in each movement. You feel terrible being a bystander, but there's little you can do to help her. You only wait for Her Highness to calm down by herself.

INSANITY LEVELS RISING

1…2

After a while, you decide it's time to talk. Her painful breathing seems calmer, or as calm as it can be.

What will you do now that she's quiet?

PICK THREE (say number):

1\. Try to free her

2\. Ask about the Lost Warrior

3\. Ask about her imprisonment

4\. Ask about the Visitor

5\. Ask about the nectar

CHOSEN: 2, 3, 5

(Next dialog made from these choices)

"I'm sorry, Princess, for your state. We didn't come here to hurt you" You explain to her, trying to stop her sobs.

"Oh? Who are you, then, soft-spoken warrior?" She asks between the few last whimpers and pained grumbles.

"They call me Spade, and my companion is the Lupine Barbarian, a fierce fighter. We come from far away, we were given a task".

"What kind of task would bring you to the ruin of the Impossible Royalty?" The princess questions, coughing.

"Saving your kingdom, we presume", the Lupine Barbarian responds, crossing her arms.

"...I'm listening", Her Highness mutters.

"We want to know about the Lost Warrior, first", you explain.

"The Lost Warrior… She's my closest friend. She was known as the Valiant Warmaiden, long ago, before the Visitor came and destroyed the bridge between our kingdoms…" She stops this tale to cough a bit more. You can hear the blood gush from the stabbing wound. "We were unstoppable together. We might have kept that wretched invader off, but he knew that beforehand. He separated us so he could destroy my kingdom, kill my family and begin his plans, whatever they are…"

This sounded very weird, but familiar at the same time. It reminded you of things that you don't think are real, or not from this world.

"Separating you meant having you tortured or what?" Your companion bluntly inquired. She could have had a bit more tact.

"I'm trapped, penetrated by this thick metal… I bleed every day, without dying. And when the townsfolk come here… They feed and feast off my flesh, they consume and they touch… They say they love me, and they used to, before the Visitor came, but what they do to me now… That is not love; that is…"

She can't continue talking, and starts to weep. You try to calm her down with your words.

"We're sorry to make you remind such dreadful memories, Princess, we didn't want to..."

"That wretched 'Visitor'..." She says now, stopping her moaning but now with clear anger. "The Visitor came to my kingdom to destroy it, and nothing more! He is nothing but a monster in disguise, destroying every reign he steps in! The Flower Palace first, and now this...!"

"Please, Your Highness..." You ask her, getting a bit closer, touching her shoulder.

"Don't touch me, you filthy bounty hunter!" She screams to you. "You came here for treasure! Not in the interest to save me!"

"Lola, please, listen to me" You blurt out, not knowing why you said so.

Thankfully, she stops her rage there, at hearing that name.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't lash out at you. You are noble warriors, I can see through the Impossible Mask your true purpose. I was just..."

"We understand", the Lupine Barbarian whispers, getting close to the princess as well.

The Princess sighs, and directs her words towards you again.

"Do you have anything else to ask, warriors?"

"Well, the only other thing we know about is a certain 'nectar'..." You say.

"The nectar? The nectar you may have heard of comes from the Chalice" She starts explaining. "Drinking that infinite nectar grants any kind of wish to whoever had a blissful taste".

"That must be our goal, then!" The warrior exclaims.

"It was in my possession long ago, after I retrieved it with my close friend from the ruins it rested in. But the Visitor found it and hid it deep in the Woods of Regret, the same place I took it from. If you get your hands on the Chalice, you might be able to bring the Lost Warrior back, and free me from this torture".

THE GUARDIAN

You're startled when you feel the ground shake. You hear heavy thuds, like the stomps of a mighty beast You see how the Princess starts to shake, like trying to stand up and run away.

"No, no, no! He's here!"

"Who's here?" You ask, getting ready for anything that might come.

"It's Caexcors, the Visitor's Guardian! He might have heard you entering! He's fierce and powerful, you can't fight him!"

"Highness, with all due respect, your judgment is very dim if you think our might is not to compare to any other warrior", The Lupine Barbarian valiantly says, pulling her giant Morning Star.

"Quick, grab my necklace! The family heirloom will let you traverse this castle! And run! There is no use to fight!" The Princess screams to you two, as the thuds become tougher and closer.

You run towards her and take the necklace. It looked like her mask, but tiny. You get it into your pocket. The thuds become more powerful.

You could follow the Princess plea and flee or try to fight the Guardian. He seems close and the Princess looks very afraid of him. On the other hand, you don't know how strong the Guardian might be, so there's maybe a fighting chance, even more with The Lupine Barbarian at your side.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

FIGHT

FLEE

CHOSEN: FLEE

You and your companion take the Princess advice to heart. There was no use in fighting the Guardian. You needed to get to the Chalice, fast.

"Will you be OK, Princess?" You ask, before leaving through the gate you entered.

"The Visitor and the Guardian don't want me dead, they want me to suffer. That is what feeds their purpose", she says, coughing. "I trust you, brother. I know you can save me. Find the passage to the Fire Caverns, I knew the day to go back to the Woods would come... Through the Caverns, you will be judged".

You don't know why she called you "brother", but it warmed your heart to hear so. You and your companion get back into the hallways, leaving the heavy steps of The Guardian behind, and exiting the Impossible Castle. Luckily, the heirloom would help you get directly to those Fire Caverns and get into the Woods of Regret easily.

"I am the Guardian Caexcors, The Chaos' Will. I know for what you came, and you shall not get it on my watch!" You hear the great brute shout, trying to catch up with you. "You shall not free the Princess, until we draw her last drop of blood!".

You pay no attention, you just continue your way.

You and your companion descend down what felt like an infinite stairway, going deep down the nowhere. You caught a glimpse of the supposed cavern in the distance, but thanks to the heirloom, you avoided most of it. You seem to get to the end of the stairway, just to see a giant door stopping your way.

You can hear the Guardian following you. Those giant thuds echo in the distance.

"You are fearsome, no doubt! But the Chaos' Will feeds his servants!" You hear from afar, among other strange sounds you couldn't understand.

He seems way too close to you. Maybe he had a shortcut too?

Your barbarian companion gets in guard and runs towards the stairway you just descended.

"Spade, get the Chalice! I'll hold the Guardian as much as I can!" The Lupine Barbarian exclaims, preparing her weapon once again.

You nod to her. You know it's a sacrifice, and who knows how useful it may be, but any help might be good.

THE GATEKEEPERS OF THE DREAMLANDS

At the door, two statues carved in the walls seem to move, but you're not sure if they actually did or not. Their stone eyes glimmer and glow, seeing you, judging you.

From the ether, you hear something, or somebody, talk to you. You don't understand many of their words, however. They talk in tongues: dead tongues, or ones that no human can understand. The voices overlap, a cacophony forms in your head, one you can barely suffer through. You feel like your ears will bleed, like your brain will melt. The statues look to you, knowing your purpose, your goal, and eat your thoughts and memories.

INSANITY LEVELS RISING

2…3

The cacophony of many tongues suddenly starts to make some sense. The many words spoken in many languages mash together and become comprehensible, and in between the many sounds, a strange enigma can be heard.

"The dried flower floats in the Ǣther, moved by the wills of the Cosmos. Without a face, It pulls strings, casting a net of poison in wandering souls. Chaos waits in the deep corners of the minds, and the cursed nest will cast a flame, burn the flower and engulf the fields. Be wary, traveler, for the Chaos Will is unstoppable, and very few will survive".

Does it mean anything? Or is it just senseless rigmarole? It does not matter now, as the shadow of the Guardian draws closer.

The lights of the statues stop, and for a second they seem to have never moved at all. The doors creek and open, and you quickly get in, going down a new stairway.

You look back only once, and you see the shadow of your companion draw her Morning Star once again.

"I am The Lupine Barbarian, o Guardian Caexcors! Not even the strength of Oukranos can destroy my will!"

The fierce warrior jumps at the Guardian, whose armor was falling apart. You saw something strange coming from him, but there was no time to stop and observe.

LYNN HAS LEFT THE PARTY

THE WOODS AND THE CHALICE

You run deep down the stairway behind the opened gates, or you feel like you walk. You're not sure anymore; it sometimes goes up, other goes down, or they go nowhere; your steps go anywhere, they vanish and let you fall into an abyss, to gently catch you in the air. You keep walking, not sure when this way will end. You don't hear anyone following you anymore.

You reach the end of the steps, and a light starts blinding you. Somehow, you're now in the middle of a forest, the one the Princess called The Woods of Regret. And how Lady Luck works towards you, since you can see an altar holding a golden chalice on the top.

You walk close to it, it feels so close now.

But suddenly, once more you hear the heavy thud behind you.

Caexcors was not just an armored soldier anymore. The last scraps of metal cling onto what could barely be seen as something real. It growls and roars with a power that would break the deep slumber of dormant gods.

"We have grown weary of your meddling!" You hear from its many mouths. "The blood of your clan felt like a blessing, but now it is a curse! I'll break your mind and leave your soul wandering forever in the Enchanted Woods!"

Your companion sacrificed herself to buy you time but Caexcors still managed to get here, although damaged. Maybe your companion did a good job, and her sacrifice was not in vain. You might not defeat him and kill him, but there's a chance to finally stop him and nail him down. Two of your other items glow as well, the sphere the wizard gave you and the Princess' heirloom. The first one makes you feel faster, and the second, stronger.

You could try to fight him and wear him down, or run for the Chalice right now. You don't really know which one is best.

CHOOSE:

ONE LAST STAND

GET THE CHALICE

USE ITEM (HEIRLOOM or SPHERE)

CHOSEN: USE THE SPHERE AND GET THE CHALICE

You crash the sphere with your hand. An aura that makes you feel lighter surrounds you. Then, you run to the Chalice. There's no use to fight anymore.

You evade the claws and slashes from the beast the Guardian is now. You jump to the Chalice and grab it tightly. The monster grabs you too, but you have it in your hands already. You gulp quickly the blissful nectar, but in a shake, you drop the chalice. It doesn't matter now.

SAY YOUR WISH: _

COMMAND GIVEN: "I wish the Lost Warrior would come back!"

Wish granted

A light blinds you both, just before the beast tries to engulf you. From the altar, an effigy is visible. An armored warrior in an elegant armor.

The Valiant Warmaiden has arrived.

The beast Caexcors drops you, somewhat startled, but he acts mockingly a few seconds later. His voice, as grave and powerful it sounded, had a slight tone of fear.

"Hah! You fool! You think you can defeat me now, with the bridge to your kingdoms destroyed?"

The Valiant Warmaiden, however, is undeterred. She draws her sword, which glows with a purple light.

"The link of two souls is being restored, and the power of two becomes one", the Warmaiden chants, walking slowly but with might towards Caexcors.

"No!" The eldritch guardian screams, trying to get closer to her, but visibly shrinking his wings.

The once Lost Warrior ups her shield and sword, and once she's close enough, she jumps at the monster.

Caexcors roars in a last stand. They change blows, and suddenly, your vision goes black.

TWIN SOULS

"Wake up Lincoln…"

"How many times do I have to wake up? This life is already a nightmare…"

"It will forever be if you don't open your eyes. All of them".

"Why should I? This blackness… Is so comforting, and I'm so tired…"

"Please, brother. Our sisters need you. I need you too".

...

You open your eyes, and the first thing you see is Lola hugging her sister, and your other siblings surrounding them. She was inside the room for some reason, on the floor. She couldn't speak, she was visibly weak. And Lana was too. You notice something weird in Lana's eyes, like they're wandering everywhere. She speaks something, but barely can be understood.

"Lana… Thank you…" Lola manages to speak.

Lana turns her eyes to Lola, and smiles. It seems like she can't concentrate, but she manages to see her twin sister.

"I… I am your older sister…Right?" She manages to blurt out, stuttering.

"Yes, you are".

Lola embraces her sister as strongly as she can, resting her head over the shoulder of her twin.

Those two share more than genes or the same day of birth. It's easy to see that, for all their differences in the surface, there's a deeper connection. Their souls are like one and the same, and they would be together forever more.

Even beyond death.

Lola has been saved

There are still mysteries unresolved.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

ph'-uln


	4. Chapter 4: Sister Moon

Godless Sound

A Loud House Interactive Story

CHAPTER FOUR: Sister Moon

The moon watches over humanity in the night, like a mother watches over her children. As a family tries to unite again, the moon becomes full, lighting their hearts, hurt by the constant pain and sorrow they've suffered through. But at the same time, it gives power to dark presences, fueled by the delusions of old ones. A living nightmare wants to unveil Itself, and calls for Its children in the mortal plane to bring It. The moon becomes the eye of chaos, lighting the path for a vessel to call Its unholy presence.

Soon, the shadows will work to find their mother.

The whole family has been getting better, but not without paying a price. It almost seems that the only thing keeping them together now is fear of losing each other. Every older sister has come around to visit, mostly triggered by Lucy's "incident". At first Luan was coming alone, but Luna announced she'd come around too. It was a financial risk for both, and Luan wasn't happy with that, but that last call had her worried about her rocker sister. She assured the family she was alright, and was going to stay at a hostel during a night before getting home. Weird choice, considering she would be in the vicinity anyways. And even though her comedic sister asked why, she would avoid any conversation about it. Her decision to keep away was strangely strong.

It was a mystery, and certainly, it couldn't go unsolved.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

The few last weeks have been less than ideal. Although ever since the twins' incident things have been peaceful, there has been palpable tension in the house. Mom and dad have all of you in a "lockdown" situation. Nobody goes out without their permission, and has to come back in a very precise time. One of them would stay at home instead of going to work now, even if that meant to have less money for the family. Sorely needed, by the way, thanks to the last expenses, like Lucy's treatment and medication, Lola's doctor or the orthopedics for Lana. However, they didn't want to risk any other accident happening.

As much as all of you tried to explain it isn't anybody's fault, as crazy it would sound, they wouldn't listen. It's understandable, nobody wanted to tell them why all the things that have happened… Happened. You want to tell them about the supernatural things you've faced so far. Lisa, on the other hand, considers they probably won't take it seriously, since all they've seen are the more mundane parts of your sisters' afflictions. Lisa always had some screws loose, so talk about ghosts might be just an extension of that; Lucy's attack may just be a psychotic outbreak, something triggered by the many issues she has faced; and now Lana's state could have happened by an accident nobody wants to admit.

Still, you managed to go with your sister Lynn, as you had planned before, to do a personal visit. This lady friend of her, Maggie, had some answering to do. At first you went to the hospital, but this raven-haired girl seemed to have healed enough to leave, so you had to go for a closer encounter: the crime scene.

The bus felt particularly empty, with only two more passengers besides you when you entered. Given the "ban" from your parents to get out of the house, you had to go after school, and Lynn managed to convince the folks with an "I'm an adult" speech. The crowded bus ride was annoying, but having Vanzilla borrowed was out of the question.

Lynn was visibly tense. She was surprised no cops or anything like that have gone to the house. Going by the few details she managed to tell you, it is something to worry about. Hitting someone with a metal bat until she's left bleeding and unconscious is not exactly a minor crime. However, it may seem that the recipient of such a beating either didn't report anything or managed for it to not be reported. You don't really know how the law works in these cases.

Your sporty sister was scared to even look at the old man behind the counter, so you did it for her.

"Hello, we're looking for Maggie; I think she lives in the third…?"

"Fourth" Your sister corrected you, whispering, hiding her face.

"Fourth floor".

The old man gives you both a very uninterested look. Even if he recognized Lynn, he probably didn't care about whatever happened between her and the nihilistic gal.

"She must be in her room. Are you a friend of her?"

"Yeah, we're acquainted" You lied.

"Well, if you know where she is, don't bother me".

"Shouldn't you call her or something first, so she knows visit comes or…?"

The guy just looked at you angrily, and you left swiftly after that. Maybe his "suggestion" was meant to be followed. Lynn goes behind you, trying to hide herself under your frame. Given her athletic figure and that you're not that bigger, it was hard for her to be invisible. When you were in front of Maggie's door and knocked, she had to resist the urge to flee, and just stood at the door's side, at a blind spot where Maggie wouldn't see her.

You waited for a few seconds for that emo girl to get close to the door. She opened just enough to be able to see you, as a chain prevented the door to open further.

"Who are you?"

"Hi, we probably don't know each other" you salute, cordially. "My name is Lincoln, and…"

She observed you thoroughly, like analyzing you.

"You seem familiar" she remarked, without emotion. "Did I see you at one of my lame birthday parties or something?"

You don't really remember to have seen her at all, and being behind the door you couldn't really see her that much to recognize her.

"Uh, I don't know?" You stuttered.

You saw her shrug dismissively.

"Whatever. Why are you here?"

"Well, my sister Lynn and I…"

She closes the door almost immediately after she hears that name.

"I don't want you here. Leave".

"Please listen; we didn't come here to hurt you…"

"I don't want you here, I said. Leave now".

You take a deep breath, as you see Lynn looking away, avoiding getting in the way.

"Lynn, please…"

"I can't" she mutters, still looking away.

You knew you wouldn't be able to talk with this other girl, but Lynn would be able to. You had to convince her to affront her however, since she was doing all she could to avoid it.

What did you say to her?

CHOOSE:

(Endearing) "Please, Lynn, talk with her. She's your friend, right?"

(Serious) "C'mon Lynn. This is something you have to do".

(Imperative) "Take some responsibility, Lynn. I can't solve your problems for you".

(Not say anything and keep trying yourself)

CHOSEN: SERIOUS

She sighed, kind of admitting her own part.

"I know, but I don't feel ready. Can't we come at another time, maybe?"

"This can't wait. I might not have another chance to come here with you, and we both know you won't be doing it by yourself".

She stays silent for a while, considering her options. She looked at the other end of the hallway. You could even imagine her thoughts in that moment. She maybe was actually considering running away and jumping through the window. But some sense snapped into her, and took a step towards the door.

"Maggie, please open the door. We need to talk".

"No, go away. I don't want you to see me".

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't want to beat you down, but I was scared and…!"

"I know it's not your fault".

Her voice was surprisingly monotone, but a slight change in the inflection showed you there was some emotion there. Guilt?

"Why, then…?"

"I don't want you to see me like this. I know it will hurt you".

Lynn rested her head over the door, stressed.

"Please, I don't care how you look now. My fault or not, I'll be sorry all my life for what I did to you. But we can't avoid each other forever. We're still friends, right?"

There's a long silence, and you didn't know if your sister's words worked. You were almost going to tell her to leave and maybe try again another day, but then you heard some locks opening.

The door opened, and the pale girl jumped at your sister, hugging her. She didn't say anything back. Your sister was too startled to react with more than a pat on the back.

Now you could see this girl completely. Her right forearm had a cast from below the elbow to the wrist; half her face was enveloped in a big bandage, one eye covered, with a big red spot on where that should be, like if a stitch snapped or blood discharge was still spurting out. It wasn't a comfortable sight, and you heard your sister had an agonizing gulp, hardly swallowing her own emotions.

"Maggie, I'm so sorry!" Lynn gasped, covering her face, ashamed.

"It's OK, it doesn't hurt terribly", the emo girl stated, trying to calm your sister down. "I'm guessing you two have questions to make".

"Yes, that" You said, a bit nervous, avoiding to stare at her face too much.

Maggie tilted her head, indicating you to come in, and you soon followed. You both get as comfortable as you can get into the apartment that could have been a serious crime scene. The lights were dim; a black curtain covering half of the window, letting just a bit of the cold autumn light to come through. A few bloodstains, probably still there from the time of aggression, remained unclean, as you could still see a few spots where there could have been blood that tainted the carpet irremediably. A few consumed candles remained around, the solid wax stuck like dribbles at the corners of the table they were placed over.

"I got out of the hospital recently" she explained, as she took a seat at the big couch, which also had more of those suspicious stains, a mix of reds and purples. "Everything's still a mess. Not like it was much better before, anyways".

Lynn sat at the other side of the couch. You preferred to stay up, having a clearer view of this wounded girl. She did seem familiar but you couldn't quite nail it.

"You didn't talk much about your family" Maggie said, talking to your sister. "I didn't know you had a brother".

"And many sisters" she explains, cutting that conversation thread off quickly. "But we have something a bit more urgent to talk with you, if you don't mind".

"What is it?"

What things did you ask her?

CHOOSE ONE

1\. Are you into some kind of sect or cult that does any kind of weird stuff?

2\. Were you going to do something to Lynn the day your "fight" happened?

3\. [INSERT QUESTION HERE]

CHOSEN. 2

"OK then, straight to the point: Were you planning to do anything to my sister the day you had this… Fight?" You asked with arms crossed.

"Oh yeah, your house was pretty weird that day, if you ask me" Lynn interjected. "I know you're into this 'dark' stuff, but even then…"

The raven-haired emo girl seemed to gain some color on her pale skin, as she alternated her look between you and your sister.

"W-Well, I…" She stuttered.

That was a weird way to react.

"I know it all looked a bit weird, but I didn't have much money at the moment, so I didn't have proper curtains and…"

Her deadpan voice contrasted with the stuttering and her subtly nervous movements,

"But weren't you trying to hide something from me too or…?" Lynn questioned.

"Y-yes, but it wasn't anything that weird, just some clothes and chocolates… I wanted to give you a surprise and…"

"OK, I think I get it" You said, looking away.

"That explains a lot…" Your sister mustered uneasily.

"I'm glad you didn't drink the wine at least, I bet that thing had something to do…"

"Oh yeah, that wine" Lynn said, snapping back to the matters that brought you there. "What about it? It didn't have a label or anything".

"A friend I met some time ago gave it to me as a gift" She answered. "It was something his 'brotherhood' made. He didn't really specify what kind of brotherhood was, and I didn't ask. By his looks, I assumed it was a frat-boy thing. He just told me that wine would make wild things happen if I drank it with someone else… I think he was a bit more literal than I expected".

"That's why you suddenly jumped at me?" Your sister continued.

"I think so. After I drank my glass, something burned inside me. It made me feel powerful, like my deepest desires would explode from within me to the outside. I heard a voice calling my name, and telling me I had to do it, I had to have you, your blood…"

"Were you conscious during all that?" You inquired then, remembering the things you heard from your sister Lucy during her possession.

"Yes, I knew what was happening. I couldn't stop myself, but my body kind of had its own intentions. It was both following those secret impulses I had in my heart and the growing voice taking over my head, clamoring for Lynn's blood and flesh, to serve something else, some other purpose beyond my own".

This brought more questions to your head.

CHOSE ONE:

A. Do you know what kind of purpose that was?

B. What about this friend of yours, or his brotherhood?

C. [INSERT QUESTION HERE]

CHOSEN: B

"So, this friend of yours, and his brotherhood…" You queried, trying to dig deeper into this thing.

"I don't know much about it. He was very vague about it, even though he said he was 'talking too much'. He told me it had a long tradition, which existed long ago but resurfaced lately again, after being dead for many years. Very few people, according to him, are part of it, only those that can 'see beyond' can join, whatever that means".

"Do you remember if they have some kind of distinction?" Lynn asks too. "A mark or logo, whatever that may make them recognizable?"

"I don't remember clearly. He didn't wear anything in particular, just normal clothes, a frat-boy hoodie that he probably bought in a discount store and black jeans… Although he had something on his face, some tattoos or markings… Ugh…"

She grabbed her head and bended over. Her respiration got a bit heavy. Lynn, concerned, got a bit closer to her.

"Are you OK?"

"Aaah… My head…" Maggie complained. "It hurts…"

"Is it your wounds?"

"It's like my head is getting hammered…"

You don't know how to react to that. Her moaning grew louder, and you could see something moving below her bandages.

"Do you need anything, Maggie?"

"No… No, no, no…"

She stood up, still grabbing her head. The bandages were getting tainted with red, as something grew from below, bigger and bigger, until it burst in bloodied and long writhing appendages. What it seemed like a now lifeless body stood in front of you, as the tentacle-like limbs coming from the broken head of the pale girl tried to get closer to you…

Or so you saw.

Maggie was still there. She moaned, holding her head still, sitting and bending over. Where did the whole tentacle stuff go? You were so surprised you stood frozen in your spot, but when you got back to reality, nothing was happening.

"Grab me some ibuprofen, at my room's night table…" The darkish girl said, between pained whimpers.

Lynn turned to you as she stood up to search for the medicine.

"Get some water, please".

You snapped out of your surprise and went for a glass in the kitchen. Once Maggie got her pills, she swallowed one and tried to calm down.

"Ugh, it's like my brain is still battered" She says, massaging the sides of her head.

"I'm so sorry".

"It's OK, Lynn. You were defending yourself, I guess".

The brooding and unemotional girl let out a long exhalation, eyes closed, and inhaled deeply.

What the hell was all that?

"Well, those markings…"

"Uh, yeah, that" You manage to muster, still dumbfounded by that strange vision.

"I'm pretty sure they were a mix between scarification and tattoos", she continued explaining, getting more comfortable as her pain subsided. "By his account, only a few of his brotherhood have them. Some tribal-looking stuff at the sides of his face and an eye on the forehead, with a circle cut in half where the iris and pupil should be. One side was painted black and the other white. Not the weirdest thing I've seen, honestly".

You search for anything you could sit on. After that vision, you needed something more comfortable to rest and keep your heart from exploding. Even though it was already gone, you felt your pulse going up. You found a stool at the kitchen and brought it with you, and sat on the same spot you were standing in.

"I guess that's as much as I can tell you" Maggie said.

"Well, maybe you could tell us one more thing…" You respond, getting in a pensive pose.

What else did you ask?

CHOOSE ONE:

X. Do you know any place where this brotherhood could be?

Y. Do you know where this friend of yours lives?

Z. [INSERT QUESTION HERE]

CHOSEN: Y

"I'm not sure. He always came to my place, but I never went to his. I know it's pretty far, almost going out of town. His family runs a hostel, and he crashes there, as far as I know. Don't know the directions, but I know it's called 'Townsend"... A bit on the nose, really".

She grabbed her head again, trying to ease her pain.

"And… that's all I know", she said finally, after the pain subsided again.

"Thanks Maggie, this will help us" You expressed your gratitude, standing up.

"Again, I'm sorry about all… that" Lynn says, referring to her friend's face, as she stood up as well.

"Whatever", Maggie says, waving her hand. "I'll get a cool eye patch or something".

"We should leave" You reminded your sister, hurrying up. Your parents would be suspicious if you took too long on going back home.

"Wait" Maggie said, "Can I know why all these questions? Do you know anything more about this?"

Lynn looked at you, like waiting permission from you. It's understandable to distrust a bit, knowing she had this strange friend who rang all the alarms for "cultist", but she was cooperative enough.

Did you let her know?

CHOOSE:

YES

NO

CHOSEN: YES

"If you wanna tell her…" You said to your sister, putting your hands into your pockets.

"Yeah" Lynn spoke, turning to her friend. "It's a long story, but a lot of things have happened in our family, and they seem to be related to what happened to us. One of our sisters went through the same as you, probably triggered by the 'situation' we had".

"Oh…" Maggie blurted out, maybe feeling guilty.

"Past is the past, right?" Lynn said, shrugging. "You helped us back. Now we may be able to track the culprit behind this".

"I'm sorry for getting you into this".

"Seriously, I'm sorrier than you will ever be. Hell, I thought you were dead at first".

"Whatever. I'm alive at least, and it's not like I matter to that many people"

"Don't say that!" Lynn exclaimed, holding her friend's shoulders.

"If it helps, our trouble seems to be only a part of it, not the whole picture" You explained, trying to make her feel a bit better,

"Well I'm alive, and you're OK. We're OK now, right?" The raven-haired girl smiled just slightly, looking at your sister.

She smiled back, but felt a bit uncomfortable a second later. She got her hands off the other girl and put them in her hoodie's pockets.

"Uh, anyways, we're leaving and stuff".

"Sure, sure…" She murmured, sitting down again on the couch. "You know your way out. See ya. Oh, and please…"

Lynn and you were about to leave, but turned around to hear Maggie's proposal.

"I want to help too. If you may need anything from me, tell me".

You just do a thumbs-up. Lynn gesticulates a "thank-you". You didn't have time to stay for much, so you waved goodbye. Your parents were waiting.

There's a lot you could do with this newfound information, but many things were troubling you. That horrible vision just snapped in front of you, like daydreaming, but with a nightmare. Was that an illusion, or a revelation? Could you trust yourself, really? You didn't have the problems Lana is still having, but you certainly aren't right either. This meddling has kept you in a very unstable mental health.

TIME FLIES AWAY

It has been almost three weeks since the twins' incident and the interrogation of Lynn's mysterious friend. You tried to find all you could about the brotherhood by yourself, but without much success. Since you could only be at home or at school, you had little time to go further, or only search for info on the internet, and that wasn't enough. The mention on local websites about the subject has been scarce and unreliable, mostly covered only by tabloids and sensationalist conspiracy sites. They might be right, but without any actual confirmation besides "rumors from reliable sources", you couldn't be sure.

You thought on asking for more help from one of your friends. Ronnie Anne might be your best choice for a more "in-depth" investigation. She could go observe from a distance whatever is happening on the directions Maggie gave you, and you know she's resourceful, so she wouldn't be in any danger. Clyde, although a great partner for investigations, wasn't as physically apt as your lady friend, and even though he already healed from that accident he told you about, he might not be the best option to run away if the situation arises.

Did you ask for help from any of your friends?

CHOOSE:

ASK (RA/CLYDE) FOR HELP

DON'T ASK FOR HELP

CHOSEN: ASK (RA) FOR HELP

The next week, after class, you asked Ronnie Anne to meet you at the school's gates. You walked together for a bit, and after catching up with more trivial conversations, you decided to ask for her help on your investigations.

"Wait, a 'brotherhood', like a cult?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid so. I have the suspicions that it has something to do with some things that have happened to my family".

Ronnie Anne had her doubts about it, and even though she didn't say it at first, you could read her uncertainty all over her face.

"You don't believe me, do you?" You queried.

"It isn't easy, OK? I know your sister acted weird that day and you had that crazy gadget, but ghosts and cults? That's… Too much".

You sighed, massaging your head's sides.

"What about you, though?" She asked now, concerned. "You look like a total mess".

"Huh?"

"Seriously, dude, you look sick, and not in a good way. I imagined having many sisters would keep you on your nerves all the time, but now…"

"What about now?"

She had some trouble finding the correct words, and to your taste she was a bit blunt about it.

"You don't only sound crazy, you look crazy too".

"Why do you say that?"

"You barely put attention in class, for starters, and everything has you on edge. You're even jumpier than usual. And your eyes… I don't know, there's something weird about them".

"How weird?"

"I dunno! It's just odd to see you directly. It's like… If I look at you too long, you'll… Attack me or something".

You didn't know what to say, really. You haven't cared about yourself in all these days, and maybe it's true you're looking like crap. You barely study for your classes anymore. You're smart enough to not completely flunk, but if the trend continued, you'd get terrible grades at the end of semester. You felt very tired, and it is true that everything kept you on your toes, like at any moment you'd get attacked for getting your nose too close to covered truths.

"Y'know, I was thinking…" Ronnie Anne continued, looking away. "You kinda need a time-off, so why don't we go out to the arcade or something?"

"Uh…"

"Just to hang out!" She clarifies right after.

"Sure, but… With all the stuff going on, my parents won't let me go anywhere else but home after school".

"You can go play sleuth all around but not go play outside, hey Lame-o?"

Although you knew she was just teasing, it wasn't very funny to you right then. She understood your mood and switched to a proposal.

"How about I go visit you sometime? If that's allowed, obviously"

"Will you help me out with the cult thing though?" You negotiate.

Ronnie Anne sighed, a bit tired about your antics, but she didn't show much disdain.

"OK, I'll help you out, but only if we hang out at your place and we DON'T talk about this stuff until I go wherever you need me to go".

You weren't sure about that. Your own health isn't that important to you right now, but you surely needed the information, and without help you wouldn't get it. You could also try to ask Clyde's help instead of hers, but you doubt he'd be as helpful as Ronnie Anne, if at all.

What did you decide?

CHOOSE:

HANG OUT WITH RA AND GET HER HELP

ASK HELP FROM CLYDE INSTEAD

CHOSEN: HANG OUT WITH RA

You decided to give yourself a time-off with your friend. It should be good for your health, you thought, and getting her help was a nice bonus. You don't want your friends too involved into the various phenomena you've been facing, but then, what's the point of keeping friends anyways?

You played videogames, watched TV and talked about life, mundane things like school, comics, or anything. You enjoyed your time off, but you felt a little bug on your head, one saying you shouldn't waste your time in this and keep searching for information on what is attacking your family. You tried to fight it and calm down, relax and have a good time, but it was a bit hard. You hoped Ronnie Anne didn't notice the worry written on your face.

Still, you had a good time, and you did feel more relieved after all that.

SANITY LEVELS STABLE

Ronnie Anne promised to come with some information to your house during the current week. Considering the week is already ending, you're a bit worried if she hasn't done anything, or worse, got in trouble.

THE MUSES

After that day, you tried to focus back again on school and a more "normal" life. But seeing your family in the state they were, it seemed that wouldn't be possible anymore. A normal life was never part of the Loud House,

Right now, it was Luan, or Luna. Both, maybe?

Luan has always been the kind to look as optimistic as she could, and have a smile, even in the face of death. The only moment you saw that smiling façade dropping was almost four months ago, where it became the dramatic mask of sorrow for a long time. Luna had a similar approach; live life to its fullest and never to show weakness. But differently from the silent approach the comedic sister had, she decided to drive her lifestyle to its extreme. There would come the time where even she would find it was too much rock 'n' roll for a person to stand, and Luan would feel the muse of tragedy to be a bit too sour for her cheer personality. Both decided leaving the nest would be better for them, and left to pursue their arts.

Right now, Luan was having trouble to keep that smile on her face, and a grimace of worry got there instead. You heard her talking with your other sister, discussing how irresponsible of her was to come when they were barely scraping by with all the travel expenses from Massachusetts back to California, or the rent on "that shitty studio you barely help to keep clean". But suddenly that confrontational tone changed, asking Luna constantly if she was OK and needed help. You heard that a bit before dinner, and Luan didn't join the table, excusing herself on not being that hungry. You decided to excuse yourself as well, and take this as an opportunity to talk with your older sister.

You knock on the door first, making sure your sister had some time to wind down. You had to wait a few minutes before having a response, and you were about to knock again until

"Come in" You hear from the other side.

As you enter, you manage to catch a small glimpse of sadness, but it didn't last more than a second, as the mask on Luan's face changed from tragedy to comedy.

"Hey there, lil' bro! What brings you here?".

She was sitting over a mattress set on the floor, the sheets and covers all messy, like the bed wasn't made for almost a month she's been around, like the life without parental figures made her forget about those menial tasks.

"Nothing in particular, just wanted to check on you".

"You heard the discussion, didn't you?" She cuts in, reading the worry on your face, as her smile fades away into a small glimpse of contempt. "That bit is over, but man, she's such... I dunno..."

"What's the deal with her?"

"I can't really tell, Jerry" she says, confusing you a bit with that name drop. "She won't really say what's her deal. Tough as a rock, I guess. See, when we were discussing, with me complaining about how she's wasting money on a shitty hostel at the ass of the town instead of coming over, she stood silent through all of it. It was weird, she always talks back!"

Something clicked in. A hostel at the edge of the city...

"Do you know the name of that hostel?" You ask, a bit out of the blue.

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me if you know".

"I don't, really. I'd have to call her, but with the discussion we had, I don't know if it's a great idea to do it right now, she might answer with 'hostel-ity'... And I need a time-out too. But seriously, any particular reason?"

Right now, you preferred to leave her in doubt and hope she calmed down a bit instead You needed to calm down too; if you were right in your hunch, Luna might have stumbled upon trouble. You don't know if this is just a terrible coincidence or there is a curse on your family at this point. Might as well be, anything is possible now.

"I've gotta check on something, first. You need some space too, right? I'll come in a while".

"OK then, I guess" Luan says, shrugging.

You wait until most people has finished dinner, everyone going to different places around the house. After that, you leave and check on your family.

Mom and dad are still at the table, calculating the family's budget for the rest of the month, debts to pay and things to buy. Lucy has clammed up a bit again, hiding on the basement with a bunch of books; not surprising, considering disgrace looms over the house still. Lynn is at the couch, watching TV. Lisa is in her room, you assume continuing with her experiments. Lola is helping Lana out with the food still at the kitchen's table; the tomboy twin has been having more problems than usual lately in controlling her arms now, even though her legs have been getting better.

You didn't want to bother your parents, but maybe you could talk a bit with your sisters about your recent discoveries, or check up on them to see if they're OK. You could also call on Ronnie Anne, to see if there are any progress on the mission you gave her, since she hasn't reported anything.

What would you do first?

CHOOSE:

CALL RONNIE ANNE

TALK WITH LUAN AGAIN (BLOCKED UNTIL 3 MORE ACTIONS)

SPEAK WITH SISTERS (Choosing a sister will come later if this option wins)

CHOSEN: CALL RONNIE ANNE

You decide to call Ronnie Anne now. She promised to help you out, but it seems she either forgot to report back or hasn't done it. You go to your room for some privacy, and call her. You hear the dial tone for a few seconds, and just before you get the impression she is taking too long to answer, you hear her voice.

"Lincoln?"

"Hey, Ronnie Anne".

"Oh, hey, what's up?" She says enthusiastically.

"See, I don't want to push you, but remember that I asked you a favor about... Looking out for something and all that?"

"Oh... About that..."

She goes quiet, and you're fearing she forgot about it. Some anger is building inside you, but you tuck that anger under your mental rug, trying to forget it.

"You forgot about it?" You ask as calmly as you can.

"No, no, nothing like that! OK, I'll be honest, I did my searching like a week ago, but I didn't know if to call you..."

"Did something happen?" You ask, changing a bit your tone to worry.

"Well, that's the thing... Nothing happened. There was nothing in the direction you gave me".

You can't answer to her, you can't believe her".

"Did you actually go there? Didn't you miss the directions, or something?"

"No, seriously, I actually searched all day by last Saturday. I asked for that hostel thing you told me about, and nobody knew about it. I searched on the internet maps and nothing either. I went as far as I could go, where we're limiting with the other towns. I got very tired of searching for anything that would fit your descriptions".

"Why didn't you tell me before then?" You ask now.

"Well I kinda... Was hoping you forgot about it, maybe you're too stressed and need to relax, because maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe you're... going... A bit mad?"

You cut the call. You don't have time to feel bad about leaving Ronnie Anne hang there. You have your own doubts now to deal with.

That can't be right, there must be an explanation for this. It makes no sense... Unless you got lied to directly. You didn't imagine Maggie, did you, and all that with Lynn, right? Damn, what to do now then?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH SISTERS:

LUAN (blocked until 2 more actions)

LYNN

LISA

LOLA AND LANA

LUCY

CHOSEN: LISA

Although everyone thinks Lisa is OK now and has been more worried about Lana, the scientist sister still causes you a bit of concern. You have noticed her getting more reclusive, a bit too focused on her research, even though the past weeks have been tranquil. You're sure you also heard her doing something at very late night, and even... Whimpering? You're not sure about that last part. What kind of things is she delving now? Maybe it's good if you check on her.

You knock on her door, which was closed, with key even. That's weird.

"Go away" You hear from her, very serious.

Her reaction is surprising, to say the least.

"What?"

"Get out, please", she requests laconically, in the same tone.

"Why?"

"I want to be alone".

"C'mon Lisa, we need to talk. There's something..."

You hear her little steps coming closer to the door. It opens, showing the obscurity of her room, only some dim illumination from screens and gizmos' LED lights. The hallway's light helped you a bit to see her face. A tear on her face, and a bloodied bandaged hand.

"What happened to you?" You ask, worried, but trying to not call the others' attention.

"This is becoming too much, Lincoln. I can't help you anymore".

"OK, I don't care about that anymore, but can I help you with your...?"

"Stitches open when one is working. I can help myself. I can't help you. Get out".

She slams the door on your face. This is more than weird, and you still have a thousand questions.

"Can you at least tell me why you're crying?"

You hear no response from her, but not many seconds later you see something come from below the door. It was a letter and a newspaper page, with a column circled.

For the letter, see Main paste at Line 1869. For news article, see Dev Notes paste, Line 527

Dev Notes: /A6Jc18wX

That doctor Lisa knew is missing, it seems. You don't know the exact relationship they had, but you guess they were friends. Maybe Lisa isn't completely a machine of logic and reason, and some heart beats in there, and now it hurts for the possible loss of a companion. Many other implications from the letter also intrigued you more about your sister, but short of kicking the door down, you don't have many ways to get to her.

You slide back the things, they're probably too personal for her to leave them there or take them with you.

Nothing more can be done with Lisa.

What will you do next?

CHOOSE:

SPEAK TO ANOTHER SISTER

LUCY

LOLA AND LANA

LYNN

TALK WITH LUAN AGAIN (Blocked until 1 more action)

CHOSEN: LYNN

You go to the living room, and see your sister half-watching a wrestling match on TV, half-falling asleep. She has been a bit tired, maybe overworking it a little at the gym. She used to disappear during the weekends too, under the excuse of soccer practice, but she confessed to you she left after having some "disagreements" with some team members many weeks ago. Whatever the reasons were, you preferred not to ask. She also has gone to visit Maggie a couple of times more, although in general she keeps on her exercising routines outside, only staying put during the weekends.

You sit beside her at the couch. You remember the old days on how crowded it got when everyone lived there. Nowadays, it's even surprising if there's any fighting to change the TV to any specific channel.

"Hey" She yawns at you.

"Hey".

"Wanna see something? I think ARGGH was having a re-run".

"I have enough real ghosts to deal with nowadays..."

"Heh..."

You stay silent for a few seconds, while Lynn zaps around, checking for other things to watch. Apparently, the wrestling match was getting boring.

"So, Lynn, about your friend..." You call her attention.

"Yeah?"

"You trust her, right?"

She raises an eyebrow, looking at you, although still with the lazy face she had while watching TV.

"I don't have many reasons not to. Why do you ask?"

"I'm having my doubts with the information she gave us" You say in total honesty.

"Why? What did you find out?"

"Well, I asked a friend of mine to search for this place this weird guy is..."

She just waits for you to continue, distressed about what you're about to say.

"We WERE there, right? We talked with your friend some weeks ago, right?"

"Why are you asking this...?"

You sigh, not knowing if you'll get anything out of this questioning.

"My own friend didn't find anything".

Your sporty sister didn't blow up in fiery bits, but you can see in her eyes a feel of dread, like she's having the same doubts as you about her own memories, becoming slowly a fire of anger.

"If she lied to us, I swear to God..." She mutters, grinding her teeth, standing up.

"I don't want to believe that, it makes no sense in either way... But it's hard to make it fit in any other..."

Then again, you are having doubts on that too. OK, maybe she did lie, but there might be something else here. You've been facing ghosts and cults, maybe not everything is as logical now, right?

You decide to leave, after dropping that bomb on your sister.

"I'll think more about it. If you can call her, please ask her about it".

"Oh, you bet I will..." She says, still grinding her teeth, and standing up to search for her phone.

You walk around, thinking on what to do next. You could continue checking up on your other sisters or go check on Luan now. There's not much to be done with Maggie until Lynn calls her, and Lisa is unavailable for any theory-bouncing. Maybe your other sisters can help? Although you don't know how.

What's next?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LUCY

TALK WITH THE TWINS

TALK WITH LUAN

CHOSEN: LUCY

You head out to the basement, where Lucy has been going to recently. Nobody has much reason to go there lately besides the boiler or the laundry. Not to mention hiding in the vents now that all of you are older can get you stuck. Lucy was always the loner type so it's not that surprising for her to find a place to hide from the world, but you fear she may have a relapse. She doesn't want medication, and the visits to a therapist have been few.

However, you're surprised to not see her there... At first.

"Hey Lincoln".

You feel shivers down your spine, and turn back to see your sister, sitting on the floor, close to the boiler. You feel relieved, but immediately surprised at the visage of what it seems like the wall of a detective at work, with newspaper clippings and notes on a corkboard, books and a laptop. Lucy is sitting on the floor, reading a book. You could see the cover, it reads "The Family Trees of Massachusetts".

"Hey... Lucy... What...?" You manage to articulate, still struck.

"Same as you, brother. I'm digging".

"Why...?"

"The shadowy beasts attacking our family are targeting us. It's not just chance. I'm sure of it".

"How...?"

"It started as a wild guess, but there might be something luring the strings of chaos to tie us in this tangled path".

"And...?"

"I've offered to do the laundry so I could have this space for my own. Our parents didn't seem to mind".

"And what...?"

"I know you've been doing your own searching, through your own means. I wanted to do the same. Lisa seems to want to distance herself, who knows what grievances brought her to it, so maybe we're alone in this now".

"OK, OK, I get it. So, you'll be investigating too?"

"Yes" She says, finally letting you to finish your sentences. "I know, there are too many questions to answer, and so much to discover... I may not have found many gems still, but maybe I could help in shining on your path".

Well, might as well have a peek into her own investigations. She seems to have been doing a lot of work on it.

"What kind of stuff have you found?"

"Two things seem to be the most relevant, and both intertwined into our occurrences. One is information on old and forgotten cults with deep roots below our earth, and the other is the family trees that dropped their rotten fruit on our soil".

Seems like the kind of information you'd like to delve in, although you don't know if you have all the time in the world to do so. Maybe you should ask for one thing now and talk more later. What will you ask about first?

CHOOSE:

ASK ABOUT FAMILY TREES

ASK ABOUT OLD CULTS

NOT ASK AND LEAVE IT FOR LATER

CHOSEN: ASK ABOUT OLD CULTS

"Per what I have found, many cults have tried to influence our society, and the ones with their origins at the coasts of the Atlantic seem to be the darkest, if not as effective as others. Many have been forgotten, destroyed or crumbled from the weight of its plans and their weak foundations. Because of these, most of these cults seem to live more in folklore than ... But we've seen 'reality' has many layers of shadows that obfuscate the truth, right, brother?"

You just nod, letting Lucy keep talking.

"There is one known cult that had branches all around the world, including this country. Called the 'Black Brotherhood' by some. As far as I could collect from the information I found, this cult has been dead for many years. A man known as 'Marten', who supposedly was one of the leaders in the USA, got arrested and executed at the start of the past century, and the Brotherhood soon fragmented into many others. There are rumors in more... 'unofficial' sources about a group following in the steps of Marten, crying for some 'Lady of the Moon' to be their herald...".

"So how this would tie into our own problems?"

"I don't know if you've seen the news recently, but similar cases as mine have happened in our little town, so far from the metropolis but so close to chaos. People who were in bad times, and looking for a good one they become beasts, or downtrodden others feeling down, to soon get a high in blood and massacre. There are talks about this being the work of a cult, although no official news source give any information about this..."

You consider the information given by your sister. Could this be true? You're not so sure yet, but since you've heard about brotherhoods and drugged things, it might as well be true.

You'd stay to hear more of what Lucy has to say, but it's better to continue your own endeavors.

"Thanks Lucy, this will help. Keep searching, and we'll talk later, OK?"

"I'm glad to help, Lincoln. I hope my words helped on lighting your doubts".

"They did" You assure her, with a smile, as you wave goodbye, going upstairs.

So what's next?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LOLA AND LANA

TALK WITH LUAN

CHOSEN: TALK WITH LUAN

You gave her enough time already, it's better to talk with her now.

You go back to the room, and see the door open. Luan seemed to be about to leave the room, but maybe a call came around before she could exit, and is now standing at the door's frame, looking to the other side. She notices your presence, and nods at you.

"So, you said it's 'Townsend', right?" She says, letting you know about the information with a knowing wink. "Thanks. And hey, sorry too, you know... Are you alright, though? You sure? You left me kinda worried a while ago".

Both of you get inside the room. Whatever Luan was going to do can wait, and maybe she could sense you wanted to talk a bit more with her. She seemed relieved, but her face is turning into stress again.

"What's happening there?" Luan asks, weirded out, trembling.

You try to put attention, trying to make something out from the little you can hear. Some rumbling around.

"Luna, are you OK? Please, answer... Dammit..."

Luan turns off her phone, noticeably preoccupied now. Then, she looks at you directly at your eyes. You can't remember any moment where her serious face was more stern.

"I don't know what's going on, but if you know anything about this..."

May as well start giving explanations, really. You take a deep breath and start talking.

"I know that hostel's name, and that maybe that place..."

You're interrupted, suddenly, by Luan's phone... Laughing? Must be a ringtone or something.

"Wait, maybe she's calling back..."

Luan checks her phone again, holding her emotions back. Maybe there was no danger, and she was just exaggerating? She inhales and exhales before dragging the phone to her ear, but she realizes it wasn't a call she was getting, but a picture. She sees it, trying to make sense of it, and you can see almost in slow motion how her expression goes from puzzled...

To horror.

"No, Luna..."

Luna is in danger

END OF ACT I

USELESS

"So how will we find this place?"

"Why do you keep asking me for help?" Lisa questioned back to Luan.

"Lisa, we need help for this, seriously. You saw the message Luna sent". You insisted.

"I can't make non-existent buildings appear out of thin air. Now please, I have other things to do".

"Goddammit Lisa, Luna may be in danger and you will ignore it?" Lynn interjected.

"I'm not ignoring it, I'm being realistic. I have nothing to work with here, no spectral signs, no ethereal readings. I can't suddenly invent magical things in one hour. I'm useless now".

She acted very stoic, but you were sure it wasn't out of insensibility She seemed... tired, like she has done everything and it still isn't enough. You've been noticing pill bottles on her room. Has she been trying to keep herself awake? Or sane?

"Now, unless you have a brilliant idea on how to use my technology to find an invisible hostel, please leave".

Lynn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes and walked to her room, signaling the rest to follow her. Lucy remained silent with her head down and followed, and the twins left somewhat concerned about their younger sister. Luan felt like saying something else, but she could notice words wouldn't change Lisa's stance, and left with the others. Only you stayed for a little more, at first just looking at her, trying to find any clue that could tell you what's going on in her confused head.

"You too, Lincoln" She insists.

You don't say anything. Maybe it's better to leave her for now. You walked out, looking back just once to see Lisa go back to her table, mixing many chemicals with luminescent fumes, being those the only light left in that room after the door is closed behind you.

PLANNING

After the call suddenly going off, Luan got a text message from Luna, it read in hastily written English "theyre mad send help im trapped in here", along with an attached picture of a wall smeared with a message written in crimson: "You are our Lady of the Moon". The implications alone are enough to know the third oldest of the siblings is in peril, but a few problems arise to go to her rescue, as you've been discussing.

Calling the cops for a place that may or may not exist is iffy, and if you'll deal with the supernatural, as it has been lately, you are sure that your family might be better suited for this. If Lisa helps with something, that is, and she seems a bit uncooperative.

You're assuming that Luan, being the "adult" and being the only one right now with a driver's license, could borrow Vanzilla for a while and give explanations later.

Really, the "how" is not a problem, but the "where" is. You have little information of the place besides the name and a very general location. Lynn called Maggie for more indications if that was possible, but the only thing she could think of is to follow around the city the symbol of this "brotherhood": A circle with one half painted white and the other black, sometimes drawn as the iris of an eye.

"The hostel might be a cover for whatever shady crap they do" you hear Maggie's voice when Lynn put the phone in speaker. "And if he's dumb enough to tell a total stranger about a 'secret' brotherhood, might as well be dumb enough to mark the place".

"There have been sightings of that symbol in Michigan" Lucy informs, checking on a little notebook. "It's not a far shot to find something like that at the rural edges of the city".

"That still doesn't solve our main problem" You interject. "Unless my own informant was lying, the building is magically invisible. Any idea on how to find it?".

"Beats me", Maggie answers. "My friend did talk about the brotherhood being for those who 'see beyond', whatever that means".

"How do we know we are 'seeing beyond' then?" Luan asks, confused.

"How did you meet this guy anyways?" Lynn interrupts.

"I won't say that on the speaker".

Something distracts you for a moment, while everyone else was talking about how to do the magic trick of making a hostel appear or Maggie's choices on friends. You see Lucy standing up and leaving. What is she up to? You stand up as well, excusing yourself, and follow your sister. You see her at her room, shuffling between books and magazines, in a hurry, dropping a few things in the process.

"What are you looking for?" You ask, entering through the open door.

In a weird twist, it is you who surprises her this time, making her drop the book. She picks it up again, looking at you through her dense raven-black hair.

"I may know what we need to do" She explains, pointing at the cover of the book.

You take a closer look at it; a seemingly old book, yellowed pages and dusty, leathery cover, with gold letters corroded in time. The same book you saw her reading at the basement a while ago, "The Family Trees of Massachusetts".

"Where did you get that?"

"My friend Haiku had it" She explained. "I believe she had a few relatives from there, and she got into the rabbit hole of genealogy. This book shows us the many families which traversed the Atlantic to live in this country and how their roots latched onto the land, giving us their poisoned fruit, such as..."

She starts to skim through rapidly, until she gets to a particular page. You get a peak of what seems to be a portrait of an adult to middle-aged man.

You consider this new information. It'd be great to have this invention, but...

"OK, he invented something... And how do we get that?"

"His invention might be lost in time, but not his investigation. I know I saw this name on Lisa's books when she lent me some for my digging, but..."

"We need to convince her to help".

Your somber sister nods, putting the book back on its shelf.

"She's losing her senses".

You don't comment on it. To say anything else would be redundancy.

"This whole family is walking near the abyss of madness, and she's probably the one who has stared to it the most".

"Don't worry, sis" You comfort her, although not sure of your own words. "I'm sure she's still with us. I'll talk to her".

"I hope your voice is stronger on her than madness' call" Your gloomy sister sentences.

You leave the room, decided to talk with her. Lucy, on the other hand, goes back to Lynn's, to keep discussing the rest of the plan.

Before going to talk with Lisa, however, you peek to downstairs, to see if your parents are still around. They seem to be discussing something too, but you don't manage to hear what it is. You assume the same as it has been lately: debt, stress, tiredness. Your sisters have been through a lot, but you don't know how your parents feel about the disgrace touching upon their progeny. You wish you could tell them the truth about everything, since they're the only ones to not know, but it's hard to know when the right moment is, or if they'd believe it in the first place. You thought on discussing it with Lisa at first, but you're having your doubts about her current judgement. The grief from losing a friend might be hurting her, but it may as well also be her mind being hurt by insanity. Your other sisters are in a divide: Lynn doesn't want them to know out of fear of their reaction, but Lucy prefers to have everyone in the know. Luan is currently neutral about this, since she only got informed about the situation after Luna's SOS message.

Maybe you could take this decision instead, since nobody will. You could talk with your parents after this whole debacle resolves, whichever the outcome, and get everything in the clear, even if it seems unbelievable. Maybe it's better to give an explanation to them rather than keep them in shadows.

On the other hand, you don't know how will they react about it, nor how your sisters will feel about it. You might just break more your already torn family.

CHOOSE:

TELL PARENTS THE TRUTH

KEEP THEM OUT OF THIS

CHOSEN: TELL PARENTS THE TRUTH

Nobody can take the decision, so you'll do it, everything be damned. You'll deal with those problems that they may bring. However, this should wait at least after you talk with Lisa.

ANOTHER TALK

You walk to Lisa's room now, and enter. It seems like she forgot to key the door this time, but she didn't flinch. She keeps on whatever she's doing now, which seems to be mixing some chemical concoctions, who knows for what purpose.

"Lincoln, I assume?" She asks, very concentrated on her task.

"Yes. We need to talk".

"I already told you I won't help. I can't, not this time" She insists, completely devoid of any emotion.

You pass your hand over your head, and take a deep breath. Right now, talking with your genius sister feels like smashing your head against a wall.

"Are you sure it's just because of that? Because Lucy found something that could help us, but we need you for it".

"I know our broody sibling has more wits than anyone would have thought before", she says, while observing very attentively to one of the test tubes. "I shared some of my knowledge with her and she seemed to understand a good part of it. But I can't think on any finding that could help".

"Does the name 'Tillinghast' ring a bell?"

She doesn't seem to respond.

"Lisa, I'm talking to you".

She keeps being silent, completely. It's starting to worry you now.

"Lisa, please..."

She stands up, suddenly, leaving the test tubes carefully on their place, and walks towards you. She doesn't seem very happy.

"I told you I need space, and I can't help. Doesn't matter what you tell me now".

You sigh again. She's being way too stubborn.

"Are you truly 'useless'? Or is it you just feeling useless because of what happened to your friend?".

You touched a nerve there, but she barely let it show.

"You haven't been yourself lately, and it shows. I know the issue with your friend has affected you..."

"How I feel is not of your concern. I'm fine, I really can't help now" She answers in monotone, even though she doesn't seem that unaffected by your words.

"Per the letter you showed me", you counterattack almost immediately., "I have enough reasons to be concerned".

"What she wrote about in that letter is not about current events" She defends herself. "I told her about the graveyard, and my experiments there. She gave me advice to avoid that, and nothing else".

You have serious doubts on that much. Her sentence seems strangely untruthful considering past situations you have observed, even though she has a strong conviction in her words.

You know you could crack her a bit and maybe she'd be more cooperative if you inquiry further on it.

Would you pursue this issue further, or leave it be for now?

CHOOSE:

YES

NO

CHOSEN: YES

You'll try to make her open up a bit. However, you need proof. You know that the letter not only talked about the graveyard incident, and you have noticed some things that have been strange about her. What are those details?

GIVE THREE CLUES:

1.

2.

3.

Clues given by players:

1\. Lisa is missing more fingers.

2\. She's taking pills, apparently.

3\. She was crying at night or nights.

LISA'S LAMENT

"Show me your hands".

Lisa seems to be weirded out by your request, as she hides them under her lab coat's sleeves.

"Why?" She questions, trying to play dumb.

"Show them to me. If you haven't done anything else, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Resigned to her cover being blown, she extends her limbs forward, showing to you both of her hands, both with a missing pinky, covered in bandages, both with slight bloodstains. She looks away, avoiding eye contact with you, with a very slight expression of shame on her face. Clearly, you're not in the best mood either: why is your little sister so bent on hiding things from you and your family?

You don't comment further on her hands, the guilt she's probably feeling now is enough. However, there are other things in her behavior that need further inquiring.

"What kind of pills are you taking?" You ask now.

Lisa lets her arms down, and walks towards her bed, sitting on it. She stays silent for the longest seconds in her short life. She interrupts the words that were almost outside your mouth to explain herself.

"I know I'm not in a good shape. I need those pills".

"What are they?"

"Antipsychotics" She responds. "I'm not much of a pharmacist, and my psychiatry knowledge is unpolished, but they keep me sane".

"Wait, so you got them by yourself? How...?"

"Don't ask more questions Lincoln, please. I'm not ready for this" She mutters, covering her face with her tiny hands.

You grab the seat from Lisa's desk and sit in front of her, trying to find her eyes. You don't want her to feel bad because of you, but you really think it's better to make her come clean rather than keep hiding everything.

"I heard you crying. I know something's wrong, Lisa, and I know we've asking too much from you, but we want to help you too..."

She doesn't respond. She's still covering her face, arched down, like curling in a little ball; like she could get smaller and smaller, until disappearing.

"God, why do I keep doing this..."

You barely react at her almost mute exclamation, prompted by her own nervousness, maybe. She's trembling too, holding deep in her chest a whimper.

"I couldn't get Lily back, I lost a friend... And now that she comes again, I can't help her..."

You're now worried that she might be going crazy on you, that maybe she's rambling out nonsense. Who came back?

"I heard her, Lincoln" She continues, not letting her face be visible, as she grabs her head, almost pulling her hair.

"You heard who?"

"I heard her talking, calling for help. She said our whole family is in danger, and she is too, and she cried and cried".

"Lisa..."

"Why I can't help her? She cried, she screamed, she screams to me every night, asking me why I can't help her, and I'm so tired, Lincoln, I'm so tired of this, I'm tired of being so useless, trying to help everyone and not accomplishing anything, because we're still in danger, and she screams for our help Lincoln, and I'm so tired, I just want to..."

Her almost incessant rambling started to subside when she felt your arms around her. You hug her tightly, on your knees, resting your head over hers, as she rests on your chest. Her words kept falling out of her mouth, every second on a lower volume, until it got reduced to a mere mumble, and then silence.

She doesn't react, and both of you stay like that for a while, until you feel her pushing you out, lightly. You let her go, and see her to the eyes. They were watery, but still holding the tears in. She takes her glasses out to clean them with her sweater, and puts them back on.

"Have you heard her? Tell me I'm not the only one, please".

"Who?"

"Lily".

At first you think she might still be in a crazy tirade, but you make memory, and start to remember a voice whispering to you many weeks ago. Just before you woke up after Lola's dream you barely remember. What did she say?

It almost hurts your head to try to remember so hard. It happened so far away from your awakening, like in a limbo between dreams and reality. You didn't even think at first it was real.

"She told me... That our family needs... me? That she needs me..."

"It's her. It's Lily" She says now, like trying to convey wonderment in her unexpressive face.

Can that really be her? You don't believe it, it seems way too fortunate, or unfortunate, whichever It is.

"But didn't her trace disappear or something?" You ask, stunned by the revelation.

"I know, I've been trying to track her again ever since I started hearing her voice, but the signals are faint, if nonexistent. Maybe she's using some other method to communicate, but that would mean her consciousness is almost intact. How is she able to...?"

She stops talking to herself for a moment, connecting her eyes to you again.

"Sorry, this is too big. I thought it was just me losing my senses, and Dr. Curwen's disappearance hasn't helped my psyche..."

She takes a deep breath before going back to the floor, standing in front of you. She seems in a better mood, somewhat: her face is still somewhat stiff, like a carved statue.

"Sadly, I really can't help as much as in other occasions, that much is true, but maybe there is something I can still do".

She walks to her own shelves, and searches for the many science books she holds

"You told me something about Tillinghast, right, brother?"

You nod, still shocked by the revelation of your dead little sister still roaming the world, or the ethereal plane, however that works. Did you actually hear her? It's so confusing, it almost feels like your head would implode, or deflate, because of the revelation.

INSANITY AVERTED

INSANITY LEVEL STILL AT 3

You see your little genius sister shuffling around the books, taking her some time to find the one she truly wanted to check, cracking it open and searching for the page in the index.

"Dr. Crawford Tillinghast" She reads aloud from the book she grabbed, passing pages until she finds the one she wanted. "He proposed that the pineal gland, under a certain resonance, might be able to make a person perceive different realities".

She's very attentive at the content of the book, although you're not sure how much of what she's saying comes from the book or from her mind.

"Sorry old man, to think his investigations would be ignored thanks to theosophists and tarot-reading scammers... His observations were too influenced by esoteric readings of factual science, but he still managed to find some truth. If I have to believe Dr. Curwen's more insightful investigations, it might be..."

She looks at you, getting out of her own head again. She seems to still not be in all her senses.

"Sorry" She apologizes. "What's important is his investigations do have some merit. There is a part of the body, which might or not be the pineal gland, that is linked to our own souls. Affecting that body part to certain stimuli, like Tillinghast's resonance machine, prolonged or strong possessions, or being affected by some other ethereal entity, will let the affected person perceive a reality beyond our own".

"So these cultists are invisible unless someone is affected by this stuff?"

"Somewhat", she says. "It still is a wild guess, but it is the best we have".

"How will we find them, then?"

"I can't make a resonance machine that fast, especially if we are in a hurry to save Luna. But you have some options... Which might not be pleasant".

"How so?"

"Some of our siblings might have already an altered perception of reality. Maybe me and you, maybe Lucy, or Lana. Lola seems to have gotten out safe and sound of her catatonic state so she's probably unaffected, and Lynn acted as a carrier for the spectre, but didn't have as much of a prolonged exposure as Lucy had. One of us has to go with you to find that building".

This is a hard choice. You didn't want to involve anybody else than you and maybe Luan, who's the only one who can drive you there. But you don't know if your own affected state is enough, or if would work at all.

So far, the only one who you're sure is seeing "things" is Lana, but she's bound to the wheelchair, being her "heightened" perception the only thing she could help, and maybe it isn't very good to risk her.

You don't know how much Lisa might be affected, but she's a bit more able-bodied; of course, she's still a 10-year-old, so that point is iffy. Still, she's also the most intelligent of all of you, and that may also come in handy.

Lucy hasn't mentioned being still affected by visions or voices, but she's the most able to help in more physical tasks and do some sleuthing.

If you go alone and your own perception isn't enough, you'd lose time trying to find the hostel, the one resource you don't have at your disposal. Maybe you can ask for help to one of your sisters to find the place, get there and then send her back home, but in the same way, she might insist to stay with you.

Who should accompany you in this?

CHOOSE:

LUCY

LISA

LANA

GO ALONE

CHOSEN: LUCY

"I guess Lucy is the better choice", you say to your sister, still unsure of this.

"Very well then... I think I can make a device out of the scrap of that watch and the dream machine to help as well..."

"Thanks, Lisa. You're the best".

She slightly smiles, somewhat impeded by the rigidness of her face muscles.

"Thank you for helping me out, to get out of my mind. I felt like my body was a cage".

You smile at her back, as you walk out of the room.

"Tell the others about this for me. I gotta do something else first".

She seems a bit dumbfounded by your petition, but you don't give her much time to react to it. You walk downstairs to speak with your parents...

Or you would, since you see them going upstairs, and almost trip over them. They see your surprised expression.

"What's wrong son?" Your dad asks, feigning the parental smile, covering his worry. "Saw a ghost?"

You sigh with some relief and smile at the dad joke.

"What are you doing up here?" You ask to your parents.

"Just checking on you all, as usual" Mom answers. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Maybe this fortuitous encounter is just what you needed. You feel the light steps of your little sister walking behind you, as she directs herself to the room, but stops when seeing the parental figures standing there with you.

"Well, there is something wrong, actually..." You hint, scratching your head.

"You think this is a good time?" Lisa asks, lowly, trying to not be heard by the folks.

"It's better they know now. We'll need Vanzilla anyways, right?"

She doesn't say anything else. Maybe she's also OK with it, and considering the urgency of the situation, maybe the truth will grease the gears of time on your favor.

"Come with us" You say to your parents, as you walk to Lynn's door.

Everyone looks at you, to mom and dad, and Lisa, who followed you right behind. You can see Lynn's straight disapproval, maybe guessing what you're going to do, and the surprise of the rest. You let your parents come in, and turn to them. Once everyone is sitting, and the silence being so dense that it could be cut with a knife:

"OK, this is a long story" You start. "You might want to take a seat..."

COMING CLEAN

It was a tornado of different reactions. Your parents tried to not act with anger, still some slipping out to their temper, soon being followed by dread and concern. They feel everything impossible to believe, but the state of emergency was clear. Luan showed them Luna's message, and they understood there were very few choices. Dad has had already too many problems with the police before when Lily died, and has learnt to distrust them. Mom is very concerned about it, and fears sending any of you anywhere, including the older siblings. Lisa explained to them as concisely as possible that You and Lucy have to go, or else the hostel where Luna is captive could never be found.

Your sisters also had mixed reactions. Lynn is somewhat annoyed by your rush, even though maybe it worked best for everyone, and Lucy is just happy that the secrets have finally been uncovered. Luan is too worried on her older sister to care about truths or lies, and wants everything to go as smoothly as possible.

Your parents agreed to help, but they have a condition.

"I know that maybe the police won't be of any help and I'm almost certain of it..."

"It's better if we do, children" Mom continues, elbowing her husband for that insidious remark against the public institution. "Too much has happened to our family to let it slide just like that".

This is the one thing you all feared, and don't know what to think about it yourself, but there is no way to stop that either. It had to happen at some point.

"So, will you lend us Vanzilla for this?" Luan asks, hurried up.

"I don't know if you should go, Luan..." Mom says.

"Oh no, Lincoln and Lucy are already putting their necks here!" Dad butts in. "It's better if I go".

"But Luna..." Luan manages to muster, shied away from the severity of dad's sentence.

Mom, seeing dad's reaction, doesn't seem very convinced on any of the choices. You're unsure yourself.

"Hun, are you sure you're in a good shape?" Mom says to dad. "You're maybe too upset and you've been..."

She tries to make it not very awkward to gesticulate the act of drinking with her hand. Maybe the twins didn't get it, but you're sure everyone else did.

"I don't want to risk my daughter!" He protests. "One of them is already in danger and we're sending other two right in the face of it? I can't deal with that!"

"Dad, I can drive them there, and maybe I can help them too".

"If we do this carefully, there might be no danger for us" Lisa interjects.

There's a lot of infighting on who should go to drive. Maybe you should butt in and say your own decision about it.

Who'd be better to drive you and Lucy to the mysterious hostel?

CHOOSE:

DAD

LUAN

CHOSEN: LUAN

"Sorry, but I think..."

You can't barely talk over everyone else discussing. Dad really doesn't want to risk your lives, but on the other hand, he's a bit tipsy, even if he doesn't show it that much. Maybe the man can hold his liquor, you guessed. Either way, Luan might be best; she might be less choleric about it, even though the worry on her face is almost palpable.

"I THINK" You try to say again, louder, although nobody seems to react.

This is too much.

"STOP!" You shout.

Everyone goes silent and looks at you, surprised. Nobody really expected you to take hold of the situation, and maybe it's better you do that now.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but Luan might be in better shape for this. Lynn can't drive and you are... Too..."

Mom makes signals for you to not say the word "drunk" in front of the twins, so you try to avoid it.

"Angry to drive".

"See hun? Listen to your son. They have managed to get this far on all the troubles, maybe they're better suited for this".

Your dad sighs, getting his hand on his pocket. He gets closer to Luan, and looks at her directly to the eyes. He's both angry and sad, worried and choleric. He grabs her comedic child's hand, and passes her the car keys.

"Take care of yourselves, children. I love you all".

He walks away, along with mom, as she pats his back. They're parents, their job is to worry.

But now your job is to find your older sister.

Lucy, Luan and you are in the car now. You sit beside the designated driver, meanwhile Lucy reads some other books related to this subject in the back seat.

You think this would be a good opportunity to talk with Luan and keep inquiring on past events, those your memory can't retrieve. Seems all the older sisters can do it without an issue, so maybe it's worth the shot.

"Hey, Luan..."

"What's up?" She asks, smiling to you, but not taking her eyes out of the driveway.

"There are some things I want to ask to you, about Lily..."

"Huh?"

"Well, turns out that I don't remember anything, and neither of us who still live at home..."

"Oh, you're closer to Pops now, white hair and memory loss!" She jokes, albeit cruelly.

"Ouch..." You say. "Anyways, could you help me refresh some things?"

"Sure, I guess. It's a touchy subject, but I guess enough time has passed to talk again about it".

"OK then..."

INSERT QUESTIONS HERE: _

(Following questions done by players)

What do you know about her summer classes?

"About the same as everyone else... But you, maybe. She had a few socialization issues so mom and dad followed the school's recommendations and sent her to this special ed place. I never thought Lily was that much of a nerd, she was just... Unique. But I get not having many friends makes for a lousy infancy..."

Heard anything about any Dr. Gilman?

"I think I heard mom and dad talking about that guy. Maybe they even met him, because they spoke wonders of him. Old fart from a university in Massachusetts, Miskatonic I think? Never heard of it before, really. I think he was part of the 'resocialization program' of that summer school, many universities were part of it, but the Miskatonic seemed to have more influence than others in it, for what I heard".

Did you talk to her before... that day?

"Oh, that day... Sure..."

Luan goes a bit serious, but also reminiscing, like some good memories came out of there. A mix of longing and melancholy.

"She was so happy to go there, and I helped her to make a sock puppet. They were going to do an experiment, she said. They were going to talk with friends through puppets, and then someone else would come in a costume. She told me they shouldn't know about the costumed man, but she saw the costume somewhere. She couldn't describe it, I guess it was too complicated..."

She sighs, now sadder than before.

"I... I was right at the backyard when she came back, preparing something for a birthday party. I didn't really notice when she entered and then..."

She couldn't continue her sentence. She takes a deep breath, just as a red light makes her stop.

"Sorry".

"It's OK" You comfort her.

Did she mention meeting strange people

"I think she did mention some guys in lab coats walking around. Considering most adults she met there were dressing colorful clothes or more, say, 'teacher-y' wear, that would probably be notorious. She also said she saw 'some guy who missed Halloween'. That was pretty funny".

Luan snickers a bit, as she pressed the accelerator once the green light comes.

What did she do in her free time?

"Draw a lot, and talk with us. She enjoyed spending time with us. That's why I think she didn't have a socialization problem, she just liked being in our family too damn much! Where are the family values now, huh?" She says, imitating the voice of an old lady. "Anyways... I never saw her drawings, but maybe mom and dad have them at the attic still, or at her deserted room..."

Any interactions between Lisa and Lily of note?

"Y'know, Lisa always acted annoyed when she tutored us on our classes, but I never saw her having problems with Lily. They were very attached, don't you think? Even if Lisa always acted like 'too smart for you', the smarty-pants has a heart of gold behind all that robotic-ness.

AT TOWN'S END

You were about to make more questions, but Lucy suddenly reacts, almost shouting, the louder she ever goes.

"Stop!"

You have been roaming the edges of the city for a while already, but this is the first time she says anything.

"The symbols are here, we must be getting closer..."

You look out of the window. Effectively, one of the many graffities in the walls of abandoned buildings were a strange circular symbol, half-white and half-black. You must be getting closer.

It didn't take much longer to see more of those symbols around. Almost everywhere, even in the streets.

"Do you see them, Luan?" Lucy asks, absorbed in the visage.

"I don't think so..." She answers, weirded out.

You see them too. They look a bit translucent, like they're barely there, phantasmagoric, even.

"How about you, Lincoln?" Lucy asks again.

"Yes, I do..."

"Well, we're getting closer then!" Luan exclaims, very nervous about what's to come. "Just tell me when we get there".

You drive a few minutes more. The symbols become more frequent and frequent, but you stop seeing them after a while, at the same time that a fog covers you all.

"Damn, this fog... I didn't see the weathercast on TV..."

Both you and Lucy start paying more attention to the surroundings. It's getting hard to see between the fog, and who knows what's real or not anymore. Maybe what you and Lucy can see are real, but not from this reality. It's confusing to think that way, that only a select few can truly see beyond nature's designs. It's like you could peek to what older entities created, and maybe you'll get a peek at what those elder entities are planning now.

Maybe they're planning destruction.

"Wait!" Lucy exclaims again in her lowly voice. "It's here! Townsend!"

She points at nothing, or at least that's what it seems to you at first. Luan follows Lucy's directions, and the neon lights of what looked like a normal, cheap hostel appeared in front of you.

"I hope I don't crash Vanzilla over this invisible building..."

Luan can't see it, but you start to.

Now you can see the bright lights of the hostel at Town's End.

A WARNING

"Tillinghast's research was a base for the spectre detector I made a month ago, along with Dr. Curwen's advances" Lisa explained to you, as she adjusted a few screws on the bracelet she gave you. "Considering both you and Lucy have already the capacity to perceive things in different planes of existence, you only need something to amplify that, in case the alternate plane fades away from your view. However, I advise to only activate them if absolutely necessary".

"Why?" You asked, feeling the tight grip of the metal device on your arm.

"The ability to see beyond our own reality comes with the price of mental instability" She clarified, moving on to your raven-haired sister. "We were not meant to traverse planes beyond the physical; much like our bodies can't handle the pressure of the deep sea, the mind can't handle an alien reality".

"In which cases should we activate these devices, then?" Lucy inquires, looking at her own.

"My advice is to use it as sparingly as possible: just enough to be able to see where you're going".

"Makes sense" You said, standing up, getting ready to go to Vanzilla. "Anything else?"

"Yes" Lisa affirmed, adjusting her glasses after giving the finishing touches to the bracelets. "It's a long shot, since Tillinghast's life is clouded in the fog of folklore, but if some of that is true, then you might be able to see things beyond existence…"

She makes a pause, trying to find your eyes, making sure you get the message. This warning couldn't go unsaid.

"But those things might also see you".

BEYOND

The building seems like it was abandoned for years. It even had an "evicted" document stapled to the front door, with date of 1988. The reason a whole building would exist far from the reality anybody else could see is a complete mystery, and maybe it would go unsolved forever. Whatever it is, whatever it happens, you have no choice but to enter.

There's nobody at the hall, you can only see chairs on the floor, trash and a desk, where you guess, long ago, someone would have been there to attend you, give you keys for a room and have good night of sleep. That is clearly not the case right now.

You and Lucy start searching for anything that could give you a clue on where your older sister is, but there're not many leads for that. You check on some notebooks at the desk, many were blank or had scribbles and doodles from what would be a bored person working at a crappy hostel. Lucy seems to have the same empty results as you.

Something calls your attention: an old painting hanging at the wall right at the center of the room, above the attending desk. A lady with a dress you imagine comes from centuries ago, painted on many red and brown tones of oil over a canvas. The woman depicted was smiling slightly, with one eye covered and a strange shape over her cheek, like a birthmark. It seems like Lucy is also observing it, and she looks very pensive. She pulls out her phone, searching for something in there.

You consider if asking her what's on her mind or not. She might have noticed something on the painting, and it might be important to the whole mystery around the cult and your sister's hostage situation. On the other hand, you're trying to keep as silent as you can. If Luna is here, then you're obviously not alone, and attracting attention is not that good of an idea.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

TALK WITH LUCY

REMAIN SILENT

CHOSEN: REMAIN SILENT

You decide to keep on your search for leads as silently as possible. If it's anything that important, she might tell you later. Of course, unless she's thinking the same way as you and keeps her lips shut to not call any attention.

You continue searching for any leads, until you notice an open locker with many hooks, one lone key hanging on one of them. You grab it and examine it. It had a tag on it, with the number 302. It didn't look like the building would have a third floor, but maybe you didn't notice.

KEY ADDED TO INVENTORY

You go to check on your little sister, who was rummaging through piles of different papers on the desk. When she notices your presence, she shows you one of the documents she found: a map of the place. That'll be handy for your search, and you have a goal too, to find room 302. Neither of you know if you'll find Luna in that room, but it's your best guess right now.

Maybe there is something else you can check before going to the hallways. There are a couple of drawers at the desk you didn't open, and maybe there is something else in the locker with the hangers. Or you could rummage through the garbage bin at the corner of the room. Or you could leave and not waste more time.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

CHECK DRAWERS

CHECK LOCKER

CHECK GARBAGE

LEAVE

CHECK LOCKER

The key hangers didn't have anything else, but there's a post-it note pasted on the locker's door you completely missed for some reason. It read "Lady is in the room". Nothing very telling, you already supposed that.

However, there's also a few gun bullets. If there are bullets, there might be a gun close.

3 BULLETS ADDED TO INVENTORY

Not much more to do here.

Will you examine anything else, or leave?

CHOOSE:

CHECK GARBAGE

CHECK DRAWERS

LEAVE

CHECK GARBAGE

You find between many crumpled food envelopes and rotten fruit a small notebook, more like a journal of sorts. A lot of random doodles and unimportant musings, like "God it's boring to be here" and variants. You give a quick read to a couple of entries that seem interesting, however.

Day 18:

"The distribution has been going swell. I've been getting the money and I'm helping on furthering our brotherhood's goal, whatever it is. I'd like to know why this place exists, anyways, but they keep me in the shadows about it. Sometimes I feel like a blind dog, guarding a house without even knowing my masters. As long as I can live here and have money, I guess there's no problem..."

Day 23:

"Well shit, she survived. I was expecting her to get killed or at least banged up enough to not remember, not to run away unscathed and leave my squeeze with a blasted eye. I just hope they don't learn about it, or else I'm done. That'll teach me to not go around giving the merchandise away for experimenting. I've been giving this stuff away to 'consumers' and never knew what it did. Now I know at least. I hope she didn't see me spying either. Thankfully she missed covering a spot on the windows, so I managed to take a peak. I was hoping for something else to happen before that fight, but I guess the other girl just isn't into that".

Day 26:

"One of them came and told me I've been chosen. This might be good, maybe I'll finally get given my purpose, the reason I can see this place, why I woke up with the blood of my dad on my hands. I barely remember the voice I heard, calling for his blood... Remembering this stuff is not good for me. He wasn't the best but I still miss the old man, he didn't deserve that".

There are more notes that seem interesting. Will you read them, or go do something else? Or leave and not waste more time?

CHOOSE:

KEEP READING

CHECK DRAWERS

LEAVE

CHOSEN: LEAVE

Nothing more to be done here. You have to find your sister.

You walk to the hallways, your sister following you closely, behind you. The hallway looks very long and narrow. You try out a few doors, some locked and others with empty rooms. It doesn't really matter, since you have a clear place to go; the third floor.

Everything was between rusty and humid, mold on the ceiling and rust on the doorknobs and the doors' metal plates, and the scenery repeats constantly, like you're not walking any inch further, even though you're moving. You look back, seeing the hallway as infinite to that direction as the one you're walking to. Lucy takes notice of this too, and looks just as puzzled by it as you.

"This might be what Lisa told us about" She whispers, looking everywhere for something that might look like an exit.

"Is there a way out of this place?" You think aloud.

It does seem like there's a way out. You haven't checked all doors, maybe one of them would lead you actually somewhere. You don't think the cultists that come here just have that much of a heightened perception, or do they?

Maybe you have to find a particular door that will lead you where you need? Or you need to activate the bracelet Lisa gave you? You might lose time if you try to get to the place by your own wits, but you might lose part of your sanity if you activate the bracelets for too long.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

USE BRACELETS

USE YOUR WITS

CHOSEN: USE WITS

"OK, let's take a closer look..."

You get to one of the doors and enter. Your sister follows you, to see what you're doing.

It seems to be the same hallway, but only three doors are visible. You don't notice anything at first glance.

You don't really know what to do. Which door will you take? Or will you ask Lucy if she notices anything?

CHOOSE:

LEFT DOOR

CENTER DOOR

RIGHT DOOR

ASK LUCY (HINT)

CHOSEN: LEFT

CORRECT ANSWER

You enter another hallway, but it seems to be real now. You can see the end of it, being the stairs to the second floor, and the hall from where you entered is just by the other side. How does this happen? You may never know. No matter, you must keep searching for your sister now.

You go up the stairs only to be stopped by a door. It seems to be locked with a digital lock. Although you don't have any of these in your house, you remember Lisa using them for her now defunct bunker, not to mention plenty of these in videogames or TV shows. Maybe it's the standard stuff, four-digits code? However, there are not many clues for the code. You take a closer look to the numbers on the pad.

What could the code be?

INSERT CODE: _ _ _ _

CODE ENTERED: 0866

CODE ACCEPTED

A very short and acute "beep" resounds in your ears.

"Finally..." You whisper to yourself.

You don't give yourself much time to think, and go through the door.

You enter the second floor, almost sure that there wasn't anything around, but you hear something that makes you stop right on your tracks, freezing your blood. Your sister touches your shoulder, but you can't stop listening to that chilling tune vibrating on the air. She doesn't seem to understand, since you feel her pushing you, like trying to make you react. But you're just paralyzed, because the music you heard had a strange power over you. It wasn't good, or bad, you couldn't tell if it was actual music, like anything planned, sounding like a string of unconnected notes, but at the same time it was too deliberate to be the machinations of untrained hands, complex mixes of melodies that give the result of an opus from the dark depths of the heart and a crying guitar

"Lincoln!" Your sister Lucy strongly whispers to your ear, trying to get you back to your senses.

You manage to snap out of that enthralling music, and you're having your doubts if it really existed, until you hear four last notes, but you can't really know what they are. Your knowledge in music is very limited, and although you remember Luna trying to teach you all that. They're very deep and low, lingering in the air and resonating in your ears profoundly, like dragged from the depths of the mind of a tortured musician and violently put inside your own.

"Did you hear that?" You ask your sister.

"I think… What did you hear?"

"It was music, a guitar…"

"I think we heard different things then... I heard someone crying".

You don't know what to really make of it. Every step you go further into this place it becomes more surreal. You just keep walking, hoping your sister will follow.

The room is very dark, with only an oil lantern at the wall giving light to the room, and there's not much of note in there. There's another painting, like the one below, maybe depicting the same lady, although you're not sure with the poor illumination. It's hard to describe it to yourself, but the shadows feel oppressive, like weighing on you. Surprisingly enough, when walking forward you almost stumble over a black piano, its ivory keys uncovered and dusty. It looked very elegant, yet antique, bordering on decrepit.

There's nothing else to see in the room, at least with the illumination there is. You walk around with your sister, both of you trying to find a door or stairway to the next floor, but nothing else seems to be there.

Your sister goes to check the painting, using her phone as a light source. You stand there, thinking on how to proceed now, what merits your attention right now.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

EXAMINE PIANO

EXAMINE PAINTING

You go to the piano, to give it a closer inspection. You press the keys, one by one, giving a very dead tone, somewhat eerie, you don't know why. The way it sounds reminded you of a sob. Each note was a different tear, being cried out, the hammers hitting the strings like pain on a sorry heart.

There was a note on the music rack instead of what you'd expect to be a partiture. You give it a read, see if there's anything interesting.

It reads the following:

"The moon will become red, and then it will be dark. It'll open her eyes and watch over us, lighting a path to the end. Chaos is the matter that created us, and chaos will eat us alive. There's nothing to do but play dead".

Maybe it's like downstairs, maybe all this is a very intricate code. You guess it makes sense if they don't want any kind of intruder here, waddling their way about to rescue their captive. You take a few moments to think on what kind of code this piano would be. You guess you have to play something, you've seen this before. But which would be the clues for this? What will you play?

PLAY THE NOTES:

NOTES: D E A D

You take your time to check what note would be the C, and start from there to check the scale. Thankfully, having to listen to your sister's songs every time she composed anything on any instrument she could play helped you to, at least, recognize a simple scale. You play the D, and then keep going with the rest of the notes: E, A, and back to D. It's the same notes you heard a while ago, the same crying song. You hear a click somewhere, but it's very mild, you barely heard it really. After that, you hear a thump on the carpet floor, coming from below the piano. You see it's an antique key, very big and heavy. Obviously, this must open something, but what?

Something clicked in the room. What could it be?

You grab the key and walk around the room, using your phone as a flashlight, like your sister is doing. Both of you search for anything that could have acted up at the piano playing. You can't really figure out what was it, but your sister soon discovers something. You see her approaching the painting of that lady, noticing something changed there: The moon symbol on her mantle went completely black, instead of the half-circles. Or more likely, a hole opened there. You illuminate the painting and find the keyhole, and proceed with the logical conclusion.

The key is a bit forced in there, and it takes you time to get it inside, like it wasn't really made for that lock, but it works. As you turn the key, you hear the piano play itself: a similar tune to what you heard in guitar, but now in the piano, finishing again on those last four notes. As the last note lingers, you start to wonder if that did anything of importance, but soon a trapdoor opens in front of you: the wall moves in, revealing a path forward.

You and your sister walk closely in that path, only illuminated by your improvised flashlights. It felt damp, and it's very narrow, not having more remedy than to walk in a line, your sister going behind you. You can't really see anything, either further or back. Are you at an infinite hallway again? You can't really tell if it's infinite. The light source from behind you is getting smaller and smaller, but it hasn't disappeared, so maybe this isn't the same.

You keep walking, touching the walls in case there's something around. It's very silent too, almost unnervingly so. You felt comfortable first with the silence, but it's becoming more oppressive, like if silence was not a gift, but a curse, like you weren't allowed to hear, to speak, to see. You look back for a little, your sister is still there. The room is still somewhat visible behind you, but nothing can be seen forward. This narrow passage keeps getting narrower, and you don't know if it's too late to stop and go back. You keep pushing further; you know you'll find something eventually.

There it goes again, the music. It makes you stop walking. The electric sounds of a now thunderous guitar play above you, a confused melody drawn from a deep well of madness, a sound not describable with any human words. How could that music be made with a guitar goes beyond your comprehension.

"Do you hear that?" Your sister asks this time.

"Yes".

"May that be her?"

You don't answer back. Really, it's the only thing you could imagine to be.

You keep walking, still that guitar playing up above, like a cry for help. You know you have to find her, you're so close now. You get to what it seems to be the end of this near-infinite hallway, but it also looks like it can go further. In a way, the hallway shortened for some reason. It also became wider too. Was this just the crazy architecture of this cursed building, or product of something else acting on this malleable environment?

The music stops, very abruptly. If that was Luna, she stopped. However, it was too sudden to be on purpose.

You don't give it much thought now, and search for any clue on where to go now. Your sister touches your shoulder and points up, illuminating the ceiling. A trapdoor is visible there, but you can't really get up there, it's too tall. In fact, it seems way too tall, not even if your sister stood over your shoulders to get there.

This might be another illusion, since you can't really believe on the architecture of this place, but maybe risking your sanity isn't good either. Getting to your sister, however, worried you too much to not consider that option.

You can either try to solve this problem with whatever you find on your environment, or see if the bracelets Lisa gave you can help on it. You already know the consequences, so it's time to decide.

What do you choose?

CHOOSE:

USE YOUR OWN WITS

USE THE BRACELETS

CHOSEN: USE BRACELETS

You prefer to waste away your mind than your time. You point your sister the bracelet, like telling her to do the same as you.

She, however, disagrees with you, showing you her negative shaking her head.

"I know we have to get to our sister, but we can't risk ourselves further either. It won't be good for any of us".

You understand her concern, but you disagree.

"It's more important to get to our sister now. We can deal with the consequences of this machine later".

"I don't know Lincoln… Our minds are already cracked. We're here because of it. But what if we keep hitting the shell until it breaks open?"

She looks away, caressing her arm, a bit ashamed to the words she says next.

"I… I think I'm not ready to deal with the consequences".

You can't really be mad at her, even if what she says means she probably can't go further. You can notice she's scared of this, and followed you this long fighting that fear that now grew. You don't know if you can go without help, or how hard will it be if you can. You think about it before giving any kind of response to your sister.

What will you say to her?

CHOOSE:

(Understanding) "It's OK, it's better if you go back".

(Convincing) "Please, Lucy, we need to keep together".

(Neutral) "It's your choice if you want to come with me or not".

(Change Mind) "Maybe it's better if we don't do it then".

CHOSEN: Convincing

You try to push your sister a bit. You must get to Luna, and you don't know if you can do it alone.

"Please, Lucy, we need to stay together".

"I'm…"

She's having trouble admitting it, but you already know what's going on with her.

"I know. I am scared too but… I fear to lose our sister more".

"So do I. I just can't…"

She doesn't say anything else. She's still doubting if to proceed with you or not. You can tell she's scared, that's not a feeling she's good at hiding. When she was a kid, she didn't really flinch with scary movies or anything like that; maybe she understood the difference between reality and fiction. However, reality was breaking apart, and that's something that scares anybody, even you. You don't know how you keep pressing further, even, maybe only your sense of duty and care for your family is the only thing still driving you.

She nods to you in the end, standing firmly.

"OK, I'll go with you. Together we might surpass these challenges".

You activate the bracelets, and see how the world starts to make sense, even though to your eyes they're as surreal as they looked before. You don't know if you're growing taller or the ceiling is falling over you. Whichever the case, you can't stop now. Even if your head hurts on the realization of a different world, of different rules of existence. You start seeing things now, crawling the walls, but you're not sure if it's just you, until your sister has to cover a scream with her hands, lest it goes out of her mouth.

INSANITY LEVELS RISING

3….4

You try to see what is she screaming at: you can see worm-like creatures in the walls, crawling and leaving a slimy trace all around. There are many, and looking at them closer, they look more like larvae, with a long line in their backs. Out of curiosity, you pick on that line, to see an eye open wide, bloodshot and yellow, looking at you directly. You jump back, surprised, but see that the eye closes and the larva keeps crawling away. This must be what Lisa meant when there would be things to see you too.

"Don't mind them" you say to your sister, avoiding to look anywhere else. "Come here so I can lift you".

She doesn't say anything, and follows your command. You help her get up your shoulders. It's hard to keep balance, none of you two are exactly the most athletic people. This kind of maneuvering would be better fitted for Lynn, but she couldn't help this time if her mind wasn't… blessed, cursed? Like yours. Fortunately, Lucy manages to keep her equilibrium, and grabbed the handle of the ceiling door, opening it. A ladder falls down and extends to the floor, finally giving you a way in.

What you thought was a third floor looks more like an attic. A very ample one, but an attic nonetheless.

You help your younger sister to get up there without much trouble. Almost as soon as both had a stronger standing on the attic's floor, after closing the trapdoor's lid, you heard something, you get closer and closer, to listen to it clearly, and you get to a door. You turn off the lights from your phones, just in case anybody can notice from the other side.

"Oh, fair lady, we have longed for you so, so long…"

Steps echo afar, and a snivel is hushed by the creaking wood planks. The pitch-black obscurity enveloped the walls, the doors, the souls.

"Why…" You hear the whisper barely blow out of someone's lips.

"Forget the hills, the sound of your music revives us! And soon you will bring the end closer, the new child!"

The sobbing and moaning is barely audible. You want to find it, but it's so hard. You start to walk faster, like that would help to find from where the voices come. It's coming from somewhere, you know it.

"But the vessel has… too much…"

"What...?"

You hear some rustling, metal sounds, clanking. It sounds like someone is searching for something.

"Ah, dammit... Wait here, lady, please?"

"Fuck you...:"

"Please, please, no need to be hostile. How about I let your hands free? You'll need to play your hypnotizing music while I'm out, unless you prefer to..."

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" She claims. "Please, no..."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear".

You hear no response from her, and more unidentifiable sounds. Then something walking again, and a door creeks. You and your sister, worried, jump to whatever seems like a good hiding spot. Luckily, many wooden boxes filled with bottles were there, piled up tall, enough to cover a teen growing into his adulthood and a girl on her youth. You see a shadow from the corner of your eye, illuminated by a dangling light source. Maybe it's an oil lantern? The place seemed to have a big clash of time: being both a building closed decades ago but you entering there in the present.

The shadow moves very close towards your hiding spot. You hug your sister, trying to get closer, be a smaller target, one that can hide anywhere from danger. Your hearts pound hardly, as you were about to vomit them. You see a hooded figure from behind, holding a lantern as you guessed. It walks forward, not turning back to you at first, but your sister lets a gasp out, alarming him...

And illuminated by the lantern, you can see his face.

Both seemed to be solid, making you wonder if the man could see at all. You see him directing his view towards the ceiling, for whatever reason. You do the same, but you can't really tell what is up there. You see something move, crawl around. Maybe it's one of those worms you saw below? Whatever it was, the masked man turned around again, leaving the place, going down the ladder.

You waited a few minutes before getting out of the place, just in case the guy came back. You can hear now music again, the strings of an electric guitar crying, like you heard a floor below. It certainly would come from the room you've been trying to find, Room 302. There is another room next to it, Room 301, but you don't know what it would contain.

The music is entrancing, psychedelic like the things your sister used to listen at home, but with a very somber tone, like they were sounds not meant to be. The notes thud on your head, striking hollow into your mind, empty, void of thought and spirit. The song maybe was from your sister's fingers, but not from her own mind. You can't explain to yourself how you knew that, but you felt it in your heart.

You grab your little sister's hand, and go together to the doors, not knowing which to pick. You had the key for 302, or so the label said, but you're not sure if it's safe to enter. Something just gave you the creeps about it. There was the other room, 301, but you don't know what you'd find there if you dared to enter; maybe you found something that would help you out to get out of there, maybe you'd find danger. You could ask Lucy what did she think, and let her take the decision. Maybe she had other ideas on what to do.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

GO TO ROOM 301

GO TO ROOM 302

ASK LUCY ABOUT IT

CHOSEN: ASK LUCY

"What should we do, Lucy?" You ask your little sister.

She doubts a bit, thinking on the next course of action. She doubts on what to do, just like you, but she seems determined on keeping on.

"302. We need to find our sister now".

You nod, and follow her lead.

You walk to the door, trying to find the key in your pockets. You get a bit scared when you couldn't find the key, but you found it eventually. The nervousness doesn't help your case, failing to get the key into its hole, but you managed. Your sister pats your shoulder, as a sign of empathy. She's scared too, unsure if she wants to go with you inside, but both of you know you have to. You hold each other's hands tightly, getting into the dark room.

It looks enormously huge inside, like an infinite, dark void. The music can be heard in the distance, inside the sea of shadows. You grab your phones to illuminate your path; however, the darkness swallows the light like a hungry animal devours its defenseless prey. There is no other choice but to walk forward, holding yourselves closely, hearts pounding in your chest, trying to run away from the dangers that touch your shoulders like icy fingers crawling your back. Nothing happens, only the music you follow with all your senses What would happen if the music suddenly stops, and you're lost in the dark, with no direction? You can't see the door behind you now, and you're afraid to turn back. Your sister hugs your arm, afraid she'll get dragged out of your range. You fear it too, and keep your gloomy sister close; you don't want to lose your sisters, they're all to you. You can't fail them, not again, not like you failed Lily.

The music gets closer to you, or you get closer to it, you're not sure how it works anymore. A dim light twinkles close, flickering for each note played in the hands of a music prodigy. You can barely see a face with the lights... Is it the lady of the paintings? Is she an actual person, someone alive?

No, it's her. Your lost sister Luna.

Her eyes and mind are blank, only her body still working to play the chaotic sounds of the guitar, resounding stronger and stronger. It illuminates even more than before, keeping the darkness at bay, keeping something else back, holding the weird reality together.

"Luna!" You try to call her attention, with no success.

"Luna, please, snap out of it" Your sister also insists, trying to stop her trance, to no avail.

She stops just for a few seconds, extending her hand forward. It was weird, but the light stopping the shadows started to fade, and the shadows got closer and closer.

"The abyss calls for me, calls me by my old name" You hear from Luna, still in that both conscious and unconscious state. "I hear the music of darkness calling my name, the Bright Sun calls for his Dark Moon. I will come to you my sun, I'll bring the Light Child I will..."

"Luna! Stop!" You shout at her, shaking her body, seeing how the shadows get closer to you, engulfing you.

"This is my destiny, as it was before, this is the path, I'm all by myself in your silver light..."

You decide to pull your sister out, along with Lucy, trying to get her out of there, but the darkness enveloped all of you like sticky mud, slowing you down, drowning you, suffocating you. You need the light, you need to get out of there...

How? How to get out of there?

CHOOSE:

USE THE BRACELETS

PLAY LUNA'S GUITAR

CHOSEN: PLAY LUNA'S GUITAR

You don't know what to do, but your brain makes a connection. It was Luna's playing what kept that darkness behind, right? You pass your fingers over the guitars' strings, making whatever sound. The light didn't expand around you as much as it did with Luna's playing, but it kept you on your feet. You ran to the door, it was visible now, close to your range. However, it is still not enough. You feel the darkness grabbing your feet, pulling you in, pulling your sisters in. They want to consume you,

"Luna!" You shake her, trying to get her back.

"I'm the dark mother, I'm Lurlene, I'll go back to the roots, to the land that saw me grow, and walk with the sun, burn the nest..."

"Goddammit..."

You do the same as before on her guitar, trying to play whatever it could work to stop the shadows from swallowing you whole. You see your other sister, Lucy, very nervous, but trying to concentrate, as she hardly pushes Luna as you pull her forward.

"Lurlene?" Lucy stutters, trying to piece together her thoughts. "Lurlene Zann!"

"What?"

"The lady from the paintings!"

"She played something, a special song, I read about it..."

"Please, Lurlene, play your music!" You shout, walking slowly, even though you were trying to run.

"What should I play for you?" Luna responds, in a very sweet voice, like it wasn't her.

You look at your brooding sister, trying to get answers from her.

"I... I don't know, I knew but I don't remember!"

You try to remember anything. Maybe the riddle on the piano's music rack? The four notes...

SAY THE NOTES: _ _ _ _

NOTES: D E A D

"D..."

You see how Luna's hands automatically go to position, playing a single string, and the first note played.

"E..."

Another note, played with precision. The darkness feels less powerful over you now.

"A..."

The guitar emits another sound, a higher note than the last, and then...

"D".

As she plays that one last note, the rest comes naturally, the crazed melody you heard before. The music leaves her fingers, like it was the last song they'd ever play, this time with passion instead of sadness. They now were making a real song, one you couldn't describe, but instead of pressing your heart, it liberated it from the fears it was sinking in.

The shadows leave and go back to the other end of the room. You can finally move freely, getting to the door easier. Luna seems to be recovering her senses, grunting, losing her equilibrium, but getting it back soon enough. You and your other sister help her to keep on her feet, while you hardly manage to open the door.

You get through it, and close the door behind you, hopefully forever.

"What the hell was all that?" You ask, although not expecting an answer, but to let off some steam.

"Luna, are you OK?" Lucy asks to her older sister, holding her.

"...Lucy? Is that you?" She manages to pronounce, shaking her head.

"Luna! It's you here now, right?"

"I... Think... Lincoln, is it you lil' bro? What are you two doing here?" She asks, now standing on her own, looking at you both in disbelief.

"We came to rescue you, we got the message you sent to Luan" Lucy answers, not as scared as she was before.

She goes silent for a while, thinking on what happened. She looks a bit confused.

"Yeah... I think I did that... I'm a bit confused, I don't know but... I feel like I have some conflicting memories, pressed between the pages of my mind..."

"It's OK, we got you out of that place" You tell her, patting her shoulder.

You're happy to see your sister alive and well, with the guitar still on her, like you remembered her when she was still at home, composing her own stuff, playing at the garage, having fun. However, there is no time for memories, you have to leave.

"Well, we got you now, sis".

"You really got me now, alright" She says, smiling to you. "How do we get out though, lads?"

"Luan is waiting for us outside. We have to get out before that guy comes here..."

"No need, ladies and gentleman" You all hear from a disembodied voice. "Make yourselves comfortable, because you're not leaving.

All of you look around, trying to find from where the voice comes, but they didn't come from anywhere. However, you could see something... Many eyes observing you from the walls, from the ceilings. Those worms... What the hell were they?

"If you're wondering how I know you're here, easy. The walls have ears... Or eyes, to be more precise".

From the trapdoor, you see the masked man enter the place. He didn't seem to be actually moving, more like the world moved around him. In a matter of seconds, he was already in front of all of you.

"It took me time to see you and this young girl" He says, keeping his hands behind his back. Was he hiding something? "But now you're resonating at a more visible frequency, sort to speak. That is good".

You remember the bullets you found. It would have been ideal to find a gun too, because the only thing you wanted to do now is to shoot him and run away. But you're now frozen in place, not knowing if to attack him is a good idea. Your older sister looks at the guy with disdain, clenching her teeth.

"Let them go. I know you only want me" She says, defiantly now.

"Feeling confident, out of the darkness' grasp?" He remarks. "None of you will leave. You thought you could wander in?"

You must think fast. You can't run away just like that. But maybe you can appeal to whatever he has as a heart, and convince him to let Lucy go. Whatever he has planned, is better to not risk your little sister any further. Now, you don't know if it'd work, or if it will anger the man with the yellow mask.

What will you do?

CHOOSE:

TELL HIM TO LET LUCY GO

REMAIN SILENT

CHOSEN: TELL HIM TO LET LUCY GO

"Wait, no!" You shout. "Let my little sister go at least, she has nothing to do with this!"

"Lincoln, what are you...?" Luna manages to whisper.

"It was my idea to come here for Luna. Let my sister Lucy go".

The masked man doesn't turn to anybody, but you see the worms in the ceiling staring at your raven-haired sister. She was trembling, not knowing what to do.

"Your name is Lucy?" The masked man asks, talking very softly to her.

"Y-yes..."

His mask doesn't let you read his expression. His silence could be either hesitation or machination. He pronounces some words.

"Your past is troubled, and your future even more so. Maybe the cursed nest has something else to offer..."

You have no idea what he is saying, but you hope it's good for your little sister.

"Very well. You shall leave".

His voice sounded grave and powerful at first, but now it's soft and calm, even soothing, like a sweet song a mother would sing to her baby, a lullaby.

Lucy looks at you, and you nod at her. She nods back and leaves, running. It was better for her to leave.

"Now, as for you two..." The man says, his voice going to a deep, hellish baritone.

You suddenly feel pressure on your back, like something fell over you. You see something fall in front of you too: one of those worms, looking at you from below.

"You'll come with me, whether you like it or not. I can't let the Lady go. She has to continue her purpose".

For some reason, you can only see shadows now. And you can't hear either. It feels... Odd. Like you wanted to sleep, but it wasn't your real intention. You want to run away. It can't end like this, can it?

"Sleep, children" The man commands.

And as such, you fall asleep.

HELENA

You wake up, tied to a chair. You see your sister in front of you, poorly illuminated by a dangling light bulb. You try to get out, but you're tightly tied up, leather straps holding you down. Luna seems to be still alive, breathing heavily, but she looks oddly quiet. Was she sedated? You look everywhere. There's a worm near your foot, looking at you. It's strange to see a huge eye looking at you from below, staring firmly, not blinking.

"Nice to see you up, boy. I hope you can help us now, since you were so kind to come here".

You remain silent, not trying to give anything to him to work with.

"Oh, am I a ghost now?" He says in a mocking tone. His voice goes up and down in tone, like a melody, a very twisted one. "How about we strike a deal? I know you want to know things. We've seen you, meddling into our business. I think I saw you even, down in the Enchanted Woods... Who would've thought the nest could get so far without knowing what they're doing?"

What was he talking about? Enchanted Woods?

"Maybe, if you give me the information I want, you can leave. Of course, the lady here..." He says, getting close to her. You see a saw in his hand. "Might not".

"You mother..."

"Oh, don't fret. I don't plan to kill her. She's our vessel. She has a purpose to fill. But the vessel needs to be trimmed down..."

"Don't!"

He places the edge of the saw over your sister's arm, which was being held by another contraption you could barely see in the dark room. You try to look away, close your eyes. And then the man sings, with the harsh harmony of a scream behind.

"Oh, our fair lady is so beautiful

She gave her all for her loved ones

She gave her music, so graceful

She gave her body, so generous

She gave her soul, how lovely

All for the moon to go red".

"But one thing we needed

Was not her music

Was not her body

Was not her soul

The dark void wanted

Her talent".

The screaming stops. Red soaks the floor, and you keep your eyes closed, only going up to see your sister crying. She's in pain, in so much pain and you couldn't do anything to stop this. Tears drop from your eyes, and you feel a knot in your throat, making you drown in your own breathing. You're angry, sad, disappointed, you don't know what to feel.

"Oh, hush now, lady". He says, as he gives her the sleeveless coat she was wearing before, covering her severed arm, soaking in the blood. He ties something on the stump, a tourniquet to stop the blood flow.

Your sister can't talk now, and she's breathing heavily. She's trying to hold her own tears, to hold her shrieks of pain. You can see her trying to stand up, but the man doesn't seem to notice, as he gets closer to you.

"Now, you, white-haired boy... How about we talk a little? I might let you go if you comply..."

You want to curse to him, but you can't.

"You can ask me three questions, and then I'll ask you three. If I like what you answer, you can leave. And if I really like the questions... You might get your sister back! Well, although... I don't know how alive will she be..."

You don't want to take his offer. You want to kick him, but you can't. You can barely move your foot... Unless...

ASK THREE QUESTIONS

Questions given by players

Why do you attack my family?

"A better question would be why you attack us! It's so annoying to take one life and have a whole army of idiots coming to you, thinking they can bend the will of chaos. You are the cursed nest, but gave us one great fruit for us to relish on. You were a hindrance, until I saw this lady..."

He turns to your sister, who's still trying to stand up. You get your foot a bit looser from its ropes.

"Who would've thought the cursed nest would have two prizes! The rest of you though... All a hindrance. We thought the little lady in pink would be helpful, until we noticed she was part of your clan. We couldn't stop the process, so we hoped for the best... And the worst happened. How terrible".

What are you trying to release?

"Ah, ah, ah. You don't want to spoil the ending, don't you? I can only tell you this: We need blood, we need souls, and we need the lady. We also got something from you... The little light child. They will come to be vessels for the chaos to feast upon this planet... Oops! I guess I told you the ending, didn't I?".

Your foot is almost out.

Did you guys have anything to do with Lily's death?

"Lily? That was the light child's name? Oh dear, what a lovely name. She was pretty as a flower too. It's a complicated matter, and you wouldn't understand. But I can say she will help us in our plans... Even if her soul keeps fighting it, she will be the one to call for our God".

Your foot is out.

Will you answer the questions, or defend yourself?

CHOOSE:

COMPLY

ATTACK

Finally, you manage to get one foot free. It seems the masked man didn't notice.

"Now I was nice to you, it's your turn to be nice to me" You hear him say, standing up firmly. "I'll ask you a few questions, and I may let you go".

You stay silent. You see your sister standing up behind you, slowly. Maybe you can distract him.

"However, I can see through your lies" He says, pointing down. "If you say anything suspicious... You may leave, but not alive. Get it?"

You nod. The guitar was close, and Luna notices it. You try to keep yourself quiet, trying to not give it away. She might be onto something.

"Here are my questions, boy".

Where does your family live?

How did you get here, so far from reality?

How is little Lisa doing? Dr. Curwen wants to know.

ANSWERS GIVEN:

in the cursed nest obviously/ far from your influence

we´ve relied on our perception

so it was you/ sad because a bunch of psychos killed her

You give him very short and obtuse answers. It seems to get a reaction from him, even if you couldn't see beyond his mask.

"Oh, I get it! You're not lying! How funny are you! How about I pull a prank on you too, kid?"

He's about to take something from behind him, but you know what to do now. You don't say anything else to him, and raise your liberated foot just above the worm.

"Wait, what are you doing, when did you... STOP!" He screams in his infernal baritone, trying to stop your foot stomping the gigantic eye-worm.

He starts to scream in pain, grabbing his head.

"Why are you doing this!? You cursed child! Your family will burn!"

He keeps screaming, trying to gain his composure back. It is what he deserved.

You see your sister stand up, finally. The guitar was close, you could see it. She grabs it by its long neck. Her axe was in her hand now, for one last song.

"You will burn, you will be eaten by the beasts from beyond! We'll feed all of you, all your family will be the feast for ancient ones! I hope you...!"

His screaming stops to a halt, and you hear a heavy thud. He falls to the ground, as his body stops moving altogether.

"This is the end... My friend..." Your sister whispers, holding now a broken piece of wood.

She tries to hold her posture, but to no avail, she starts fainting.

"Luna, wait... I can't get out..."

You manage with some more fumbling to get one hand out, and liberate the rest of your limbs right after. You take your time to also kick the masked man now that he's down, getting some relief. With all the strength left in you, you lift your sister, grabbing her remaining arm and putting it around your shoulders.

"You'll survive, I know you can..." You tell her, trying to get out as fast as possible. "Everybody is waiting for you now..."

Your older sister breathes heavily.

"I don't know bro... Maybe this..."

"Hush... You helped me when I was a little kid... I'll help you now".

Luna is safe.

There are still mysteries unresolved.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR

grah'n


	5. Chapter 5: Sisterhood of the Sun

A family is more than a bond created by convivence; it's a bond of blood. Blood that signals a sacrifice in body and soul. Live for them. Die for them. Siblings need to stick together to protect their members. They must do everything they can to support themselves. When one of them fails, all of them do. When one member of a family dies, it's a failure for all of them. And when there's a failure, there is a price. The price is blood.

The nest will soon pay.

Just as old times, every sibling was now in the same house, under the same roof. Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa. All the older sisters were back, at least for now, to try and fight against the evil influences affecting the Loud House. However, the reunion wouldn't come without trouble. Lori and Leni can't get along for whatever reason, either trying to avoid each other or making depreciatory remarks when one of them was absent. Their apparent disdain for each other, however, isn't something mundane. It seems to be something darker, something eerier, something nobody was sure if they wanted to know.

But everybody knew it was a mystery that couldn't go unsolved.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

It's been three weeks. Everything is calm, but everybody's tense. Even though the family is reunited, nothing feels like home. And how can it be, when you now know of the perils you've been going through? Rescuing yet another member of your family wasn't enough. If anything, it cemented the fact that none of you were safe. From the first to the last, you were damned. Eyes shine in the dark outside, watching you. You're not sure if everybody else can see them, but you do. You can see through your window how they look at you, they look at your house. You took their Mother. They want a new one.

You are not safe.

Once you got Luna to the van, Luan managed to bring her to a hospital before any deadly blood loss happened. She survived, but she undoubtedly feels like she shouldn't. Losing a part of her body didn't concern her as much as losing her passion did. She's been having problems and doubts about a lost limb, but not being able to hold her now broken axe was more painful. More than that, she feels useless now. Luan tried to comfort her, but the last words they exchanged face-to-face before parting ways still were in Luna's heart. "You're right" You heard Luna sob to her closest sister, "I do nothing but partying and playing, I'm nothing without it". It was already so painful to hear her say that, and you can't imagine how it feels for her.

She's been slowly getting used to her lost arm. Lisa's been testing a prosthesis, but the prototype has many faults she's still working on. Even then, Luna doesn't feel quite right with using one, even if it worked perfectly. It isn't very easy to address the loss of a limb. The phantom pain, quite literally forgetting sometimes she can't do certain things anymore, still feeling that arm, like she can still move something invisible in the air; all that was still in her mind, and it was hard to come to terms with not being able to feel at least one last caress.

There are also a thousand more things going on, that although more mundane, are just as worrying: medical treatments, debt, the police making uncomfortable questions, housing once again so many people under the same roof. At least that last one was something you knew how to deal with already.

Lori and Leni came back as well, once they were told about the latest events by your parents, and of course, the truth behind them. Lori, of course, didn't know what to say at first, and took some time to be convinced and process all the information. Leni faked pretty well to not know anything, something you found kinda suspicious. Although she wasn't up to speed with Luna's kidnapping and rescue, she knew about the ghosts and possible cults behind it. What reason would she have to feign ignorance on something you already told her about?

It doesn't help the house has been tense. You don't exactly know why, but Lori and Leni aren't doing so well. They can't share rooms even, and nobody has mustered the valor to ask why. You've half-heard some things Leni said about Lori, calling her a paranoid and jealous cow. Some various insults to Leni spouted by Lori, calling her a dimwitted harlot. At first, it seemed like trouble coming from previous but ultimately banal grievances, things that they'd have to sort out by themselves. However, a little phrase you heard, not sure if said by Lori or Leni, had you on edge.

"Everything that is tormenting our family is because of you".

There are many things that still have no answers. You wanted to know everything as fast as you could, but between taking care of your school life ―which was going terribly, and you were probably going to drop out soon―, your house duties and helping out your sisters with various tasks and needs, didn't leave you with much time to ask right away. You squeezed some time to continue your investigations in some of those days, thankfully.

CHOOSE:

Luna's kidnapping and what happened during that time (Talk with Luna)

Lori's problems with Leni (Talk with Lori)

Leni's problems with Lori (Talk with Leni)

What did Lily see in her summer classes (Search for clues in the attic) (Locked until 3 actions)

Are you and your family being followed? (Call RA or Clyde for help)

CHOSEN: Talk with Luna

LUNA

"I don't remember how I got there exactly. My mind is a blur" Luna told you a week ago, trying to rub the arm she lost. "A lot happened beforehand, but I didn't see it was a trap back then. I received letters from a 'fan', telling me to come there".

"Where?"

"Arkham".

You saw her fumbling on the seat in front of you, uncomfortable with the setup of the room you shared now with Lisa. The room became a studio for investigations, filled with little paper notes you wrote about things you've noticed or that Lisa and Lucy have pointed out, and printings of news you have found on the internet that might be relevant; all of them stuck in walls with duct tape or in a big corkboard. There was always one computer on, always with online news flashing on the screen. Some names repeated over and over around those snippets of information. One of those was Arkham, a little town in Massachusetts, surrounded in deep mysteries that loomed in the shadows of terror. Some people would assure it is a place of fiction, yet many occurrences keep pointing to that land at the side of the Miskatonic River.

"Didn't even know it was a place" She continued. "Of course, it ain't the first time I get letters from a creep inviting me to their cradle, but this one was particularly insistent. Very cryptic too, calling me by other names, saying I belonged there. Most of them ended up in the trash, and I still can't reach Tabby to help me get my stuff back from that town, so there's nothing I can show you yet, I guess…"

"It's OK. You're here and that's what matters to me".

"Thanks, bro" She says, smiling. "Anyways… Who are they? I'm not sure. If I go by the letters I received, the guy in the mask called himself 'Marten'. I hope the sunuvabitch is truly dead. I don't want to see that mask ever again…"

"Let's hope he is".

"I probably got drugged at the club he owned back in that town. I remember drinking something they gave me and then being imprisoned, where I was trapped in myself, losing my own memories, who I was, what I was".

"I remember you mumbling about someone else, some… Lurlene?"

"Lurlene Zann. I remember well".

Luna bites her lip with a semblance of anguish.

"That bloody cultist probably tried to brainwash me, somehow" Luna mutters, painfully. "During that trance, while I was trapped in those shadows, I lost myself. He tried to erase me and plant her inside my brain, for whatever dark purpose his sick cult wanted. For brief moments, I was that woman instead, and I could remember all her life".

"Do you still remember her?"

"It's almost like talking about her is talking about myself, sometimes" She answers. "I don't have the same grasp on her memories as I used to when I was in that horrifying hostel, but in many ways I can identify with her, feel like she felt when… When she was betrayed".

"How so?"

"I…" She stops and corrects herself almost immediately. "She, Lurlene, was in love with a man, Marius Martense. Their families however, were always in conflict, for reasons they didn't know, or at least that's what Lurlene thought. She overheard some things however, like a discussion Marius had with his father. They had a family secret. Turns out that family secret is the same mask".

You stay silent for a second. You note the mask as something to take into consideration in a little notebook you were carrying, along with other notes. You showed yourself stoic in front of your sister, even though everything she said made you scared for her, for your family, even your own life.

"What about the mask?" You proceed.

"By Lurlene's memories, I can't say much" She responds, quietly. "I know for a fact that it's been modified a bit throughout the years, and that mask is a sign of leadership in this cult. Clearly, the Martense family are the founders, something that poor Lurlene didn't see coming. Oh, poor gal…"

She even sheds a tear while talking about her, and her voice cracks a bit.

"I don't know if it's because of the foreign memories in my head or true sadness, but I can't stop feeling sorry for her. I can feel her pain, it's imprinted in my heart".

"Why is it so painful?"

"She didn't want to be a part of it, but Lurlene was forced to be a 'leader' of that cult too. 'We need you for the Black Sun to come', I remember Marius say, while wearing that demonic mask over his beautiful face…"

She looks to the ground, deeply hurt, like those memories that weren't even hers made her suffer just like that other woman from the past suffered.

"Sorry, I… It ain't me, it's…"

She covers her eyes with her forearm, trying to hide the tears running down her cheeks, dampening the carpet as they fell to the floor.

"I feel her. It's horrible how it all happened… And that sickfuck wanted to do the same to me".

You stand up for a while and walk slowly towards your sister. There's very little for you to do except to try to comfort her. You hug for a while, strongly holding her in your arms. You can't avoid noticing feeling only one arm reciprocating your affection.

"I wish I could hug you like before, lil' bro…" Luna remarks, calming down.

You say nothing about it, swallowing your own anguish. You feel like it's your fault, and there's nothing you can do to repair it.

You separate and you sit again in front of her. There were some doubts you had, but you didn't know where to start. You know you had the memories of both your sister and Lurlene available, even if they weren't completely clear, so there were many things you could ask for.

What did you ask?

INSERT QUESTION: _

(Three questions will be selected)

QUESTIONS SELECTED:

What is the Black Sun?

Do you know anything else about Marius, did he have something to do with Royal Woods?

Any idea what Lily and the rest of our family have to do with anything if all they wanted was a vessel for Lurlene?

What is the Black Sun?

"Beats me. I can't tell much from the fuzzy memories I have, whatever I heard in that hostel or whatever is on my mind with that brainwashing... I imagine it's some sort of deity, something they adore. They talked about it like it was the most important thing in the universe, like it would change their lives if it came to them..."

Do you know anything else about Marius, did he have something to do with Royal Woods?

"Marius... Oh Marius..."

Luna seems strangely familiarized with that name, like it was somebody she always knew, someone she cared about long ago. She even seems to enter a trance, and the words that come from her mouth don't seem like hers.

"That man was the sweetest thing a woman could ask for... Of course, until he went mad..."

She snaps out of that weird trance. It's her again.

"Marius was from a wealthy family in Arkham, the Martense. They had a feud over territory with Lurlene's family. A typical love story happened there, two families trying to break apart young love. Both escaped to Royal Woods when things between the families got worse, and he decided to work on a brewery the family owned here, but never kept running... That's all I can tell right now from my memories".

Any idea what Lily and the rest of our family have to do with anything if all they wanted was a vessel for Lurlene?

"I... Don't really know. I heard some things they talked about when I was there... I think. I really can't remember much..."

"Whatever you can remember works".

"Well, I remember them saying something about needing two things, a 'Mother' and a 'Child', both having a purpose for a greater good... Whatever they thought was good. Maybe the it's end of the world as we know it".

"Thanks Luna" You say, finally, after you got all the information you could.

"No problem bro. We gotta help each other, right?" She says, smiling to you.

Her smile seems almost forced. You know she's trying to be as uplifting and chill as she was before, but there's some sadness seeping out from the reflection of her eyes.

There's nothing you can do about it.

She suddenly remembered she didn't have her arm and stops trying to reach your face with it, instead caressing your cheek with her other hand.

"Don't be sad, bro, please".

There's nothing you can do about it. You failed her.

"Forget your troubles, c'mon, get happy".

You saw a tear rolling down her cheek. You couldn't hold yours either.

"You better chase all your cares away…"

You hugged her, as she held you now with her only arm.

"Shout hallelujah, c'mon, get happy…"

"I'm so sorry".

Her soft singing stops there. She smiles at you again.

"Get ready for the judgement day".

LORI

"No, I don't want to talk about that. That's it".

She crosses her arms, sitting on the bed of her current bedroom. You were at the door, blocking the exit. You needed to talk with her about her problems with Leni, but she wouldn't budge.

"Lori, please. It's not only about you. It's about our family".

"That's exactly why I don't want to talk about it. This is only Leni and me, you have nothing to do with it".

"How so? We are living together again. We need to make amends".

"We can't".

She rubbed her forehead, trying to calm down. You were getting to her nerves. Lori isn't as temperamental as before, but she still can get annoyed quickly.

"Look, Lincoln, our problems are not something we can solve that easily. It's not just us fighting over a dress. Let me be, and if you don't want trouble, stay away from Leni".

"What?"

She stood silent for a moment, feeling she might have said more than she was supposed to. She stands by her words, however, with a stern look on her face.

"You heard me. There's nothing else to discuss".

She wouldn't budge. You had to try to break her defense to get the information you wanted. You don't exactly know how, however. There are few things you know about Leni and Lori after they left home. You know they lived together for a while, but never knew why they separated later. You know Leni hasn't worked in anything since she left… And now that you think about it, neither has Lori. She always talks about how busy she is, but she never has spoken what keeps her busy. What could Lori know about Leni that you don't?

You need to pressure her, but how?

CHOOSE:

Question Lori about Leni's work

Ask Lori why Leni stopped living with her and Bobby

Question Lori about her own work

Drop it

CHOSEN: Ask Lori why Leni stopped living with her and Bobby

"Why did you and Leni stopped living together?"

"Don't—"

"You've never told us. It's weird to all of us, really, because you never had a problem talking with everyone about everything you did with her until the day she left your apartment".

She sighs, massaging her head. You're getting to her nerves.

"OK, you know what? I'll tell you. Maybe that way you'll understand why I don't want to talk to her again".

She stands up and gets closer to you, very confrontationally. You can see anger in her eyes, a fire that she covers in the almost motherly sweetness she shows to her younger siblings, or in that seemingly matureness she shows to mom and dad. It's not, however, showing the apathy of the teenager you knew many years ago: it's a strong hatred to someone who has wronged her.

"She got between Bobby and me. She wanted to steal him from me. And I wouldn't let her".

You stay silent, looking at her eyes as intensely as she looks at yours. She's barely blinking, with a stare that would penetrate the strongest of minds.

"I know what you think. You think it was just jealousy, don't you?"

"I—"

"That's what mom and dad say, that I get too jealous, too possessive".

She's very close to your face. You can feel her breathing; very slow but hard, furious breathing. She means it.

"But I saw her eyes. I knew her intentions. It's not about him, he's a good man. He'd never betray me. But her… That double-faced, backstabbing bitch—".

"Lori…"

"She knows very well what she's doing!" She almost screams at your face, keeping her voice down just enough to not startle the people in the rest of the house. "She knows what we think of her, that she's an airheaded buffoon. She isn't. She played with me, with Bobby, and it's still playing with us, literally right now".

That's a lot to take in. You're not sure what to reply to her, if there's even something you can say to that. Is she exaggerating? Leni may not be the clumsy girl you once knew, but that doesn't mean she's a mastermind toying with all of you… Or is she?

"She has some ulterior motives behind everything she does. She might be my sister, but I can't trust her anymore".

She backs off, finally, deciding to leave the room. She probably wants some space after this whole ordeal. She slightly pushes you out of the way, walking to the stairs, but not before giving you one last sentence.

"I'd advise you to not trust her as well".

CALL RA/CLYDE

You're sure you're being watched. You have seen shapes through your window, heard whispers in the dark. You've felt a presence you can't explain near you. However, your attention is too divided right now. Too busy trying to keep both your family and the pieces of the puzzle together. You've been thinking on calling your friends to help you, but you're not sure if they'd be up to it anymore. You have talked with them very little since the last incident, and before that it has almost strictly been for your investigation, asking help for intel. It's a bit uncomfortable to talk to them for even more help, but you need it. You need someone else to tell you if you're being watched, someone who isn't involved.

Who could be your agent, though? You're not sure if any of you would want to talk with you even. You have no idea how they feel about you. You already think Ronnie Anne thinks you're going crazy, and you haven't heard much from Clyde. It's a gamble who to talk with.

Who'll you try to call?

CHOOSE:

Ronnie Anne

Clyde

CHOSEN: RONNIE ANNE

The tone keeps beeping, no response. You're starting to think she isn't there. She might as well not be, considering the last time you talked to her was only for your intel. She probably thinks you've been completely consumed by your obsession, going crazy trying to unravel the tangle of mysteries you're not even sure if they're real. Your paranoia almost made you give up the call, but soon you'd hear the voice of your friend.

"Hello? Lincoln?"

"Ronnie Anne! Hi!" You say, overexcited.

"Hey, calm down there, man. Are you OK?"

"Uh, yes, yes. Sorry, I just thought you wouldn't answer and…"

"Chill, Linc. I was in the shower" She mentions casually. You don't know how to feel about it except a bit uncomfortable. "I was going to call you later, even. Everything OK with your family? I saw the news, I'm so sorry about your sister…"

"The news?" You ask now, estranged. You didn't know anything about the news.

"Of course! You didn't know? I'm pretty sure half the town knows about your sister's accident".

"Oh, oh… Yeah…"

You almost forgot it made it to the news. There haven't been many people around your house that cares, but you're sure what your friend says is correct. To be fair, if Mr. Grouse was still alive, he'd be the only one who'd have come to talk with you. Your family was always too busy with yourselves to care about neighbors.

"It's weird… I came back to the city with mom after gran passed away, just to see how messed up this town is… It's been a bit crazy these past months".

"You tell me…"

There's a short silence between you two. You barely remember why you called her in the first place.

"Wanna come around?" She invites you, an invitation you weren't expecting at all.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, lame-o" She responds, snickering. "Come hang around. You need some rest, have fun. You haven't even come to school lately either and well… I miss you. Let's see each other a little, OK? Mom is working, so…"

You don't know what to say to her proposition. You're not sure if you should, you still feel like everyone is in danger. You're starting to remember why you called her too. You still need someone that can help you out to see if you're being watched.

Maybe you could go out though. You might need some time for you. And it could work as diversion. Maybe they'll follow you and leave the house alone…

You're not sure about what to do.

CHOOSE:

Go see RA

Stay at home

CHOSEN: STAY AT HOME

It's too dangerous to leave now. You know they're watching every step you make, and you don't want to give them an inch. They won't get into you, into your house, into your life.

You feel sorry for Ronnie Anne. She seemed for you to come. She might be missing you, and you kinda miss her as well. She is, after all, your friend. You'll try to be as tactful as you can with the rejection, at least so she knows it's not because of her.

"I'm sorry, Ronnie Anne, but..."

You hear her sigh from the other end of the line.

"You don't want to leave your house, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel my family is safe and..."

"You still think there's a crazy cult behind you and all, right?"

"It's how it is, I'm not imagining it".

"It's not that I don't believe you it's just... It's weird, you know? What kind of person would follow a normal family like this?"

She sighs again, a very long exhalation this time.

"You actually called me for help, right?" She says, somewhat dissapointed in this turn of events, as you notice by her tone.

"well, yes..."

"I'm still your friend, I can help. What do you need?"

"I have my suspicions of being followed, but I need proof. I can't go out safely, but you..."

"You want me to spy around for someone suspicious?"

"Yes, exactly".

"I'll try. But you owe me lame-o. I had movies here to watch and popcorn".

You chuckle a bit. She seems to have taken it well.

"OK, next time, I promise".

"I'll report soon. See ya Linc".

"Bye".

LENI

"Oh, Linc, do we really have to talk about this?"

"You know that I want this family together, Leni" You tell her, grabbing her hand, while sitting beside her at her current bed. "We need each other the most now".

"Still, it's… It's complicated".

"Why?"

She looks away from you, closing her eyes, like wanting to contain the emotions that could slip by her visage.

"Lincoln… We aren't the sisters we used to be".

"I understand if you can't be friends again, but at least you could try to not fight every time you talk?"

"You think I want that?" She exclaims. "It's not me! It's her! She's crazy!"

"What do you mean?"

She stops herself from whatever she was going to say, like she said something way too outlandish, or something she shouldn't have said.

"I mean, like… She's not… She's not exactly in her senses… She's… It's better I don't talk about it".

You are unsure if to pursue the conversation thread or not, but you need her to tell you everything she can. If you manage to get that information, you may find a way to finally unite the last two pieces of your broken family.

How will you proceed?

CHOOSE:

Let it go

Continue pressuring her

CHOSEN: Continue pressuring her

"Leni, you know you can talk with me".

"I know, I know. You need to know everything about everyone, don't you?"

That sounded very aggressive under the warmness of your older sister. You were taken aback, and she could notice that.

"C'mon, Linky, we all know why you're doing this" She says, smiling to you, but in a very uncomfortable way. Is she trying to get into you? Misdirect you? "You know it's not healthy for you, you know? You can't both try to keep us together and uncover every mystery we hide".

"That is the only way we can live in peace together. We can't keep secrets anymore".

"We can't keep secrets from you, you should say".

"What's your deal, Leni? You're never like this".

"What is YOUR deal?" She responds, tensely, separating from you. "I don't like to talk about Lori, whatever problem we have between each other is ours alone. You are obsessed with your investigations, like that will help us".

She stands up in front of you, not being able to hide a tiny sliver of contempt coming from her posture and visage.

"The only thing your snooping has done is bring trouble to this house. If it wasn't because of you…!"

She stops herself there. You can see her finger pointing at you, how the stiffness of her arm grows tired, becoming a limp body. The strong stance of an angered woman vanishes back into the sweet passiveness of the Leni you knew. However, you can't see it as anything else than a cover. Under that persona of a ditzy girl, a tiny crack on the mask shows ulterior motives.

"Lincoln… I'm…"

You are not sure how to react to her now. She seems to be switching from one personality to another, it's almost like she wasn't your sister anymore.

She sits again, you don't know now if she's acting or not. You still need to get information from her, however. Now that you know what she might not be that easy to trust, you'll have to find a way to get her to give you the information you want.

What will you do now?

CHOOSE:

Ask her why she left Lori's home

Ask her what does she do for a living

Ask her about Lori's job

Leave

HER JOB

"Huh?" She seems weirded out by this change of subject.

"You left home, and I know you lived with Lori for some time, but after that… Did you work on anything?"

"Oh… Why do you ask? Does this have anything to do with…?"

"Not really, I'm just curious".

That's a clear lie. You know why you want to know. There is something she's trying to hide there. Both her and Lori have been very secretive about their lives ever since they left home.

"Oh well… I… I don't work at anything. It's hard to get a job… For someone like me…"

"Really?"

"Like… I can do some basic stuff? And you know I like to design clothes, but… I want to be useful in something, and well… I'm useless at everything…"

"You're not useless".

"Oh come on, don't act so comforting" She scoffs, blowing you off. "I know what you all think of me. You think I'm dumb, that I'm forever an airhead".

Leni closes her eyes, holding herself back. After what happened just some seconds ago, this change on her mood seems suspicious. You can't really tell if she's faking it or she's genuinely hurt by this conversation.

"Maybe you're right about it. I am just looks. But maybe those looks can be useful for other things…"

That's an odd reflection on herself. You are pretty sure now she knows what she isn't fooling around as much as anyone would think of her.

LORI'S JOB

"She doesn't have a job".

"What?" You're surprised by this. Lori didn't talk about any specifics of her supposed job, but she did talk about needing to take vacations or whatever else. It's odd that Leni says this.

"She didn't work at all when I was there, and I'm not sure if she ever searched for one. Bobby is the one that brought food to the table, using the little money his grandfather left to him before dying, getting tools and working as a contractor".

"Didn't Lori have a job at an office or something?"

Leni snickers playfully, like she knew what you were going to say.

"Lies". Leni says very stern-like. "She's paranoid, she thinks she'll disappoint our parents if she isn't an independent woman. I don't know why she thinks that, but it's how it is".

"But did she leave the house to do anything? Did she stay at her home all day?"

"No, she did leave from time to time, but she always said it was to see some friends… What kind of friends? No idea".

This could be important information, but coming from Leni, knowing how she's acting now, is debatable if it's useful information.

BOBBY

"Oh… So you want to go there" She snickers, weirdly enough.

"That's your reaction? Really?"

"Of course. It was ridiculous. I told you, Lori's crazy. She'll make up whatever thing to make sure nobody touches her precious Bobby".

"It was because of him? Did you…?"

"Linky, please!" She retorts, somewhat mockingly feigning shock. "I wouldn't do that to my sister! But of course, the paranoid, nervous wreck that she became would think so".

"You didn't do anything to make her believe it?" You inquiry, curiously.

"Of course not, silly!" She waves her hands, dismissively. "I don't care for him much. He was just a guy that lived with me. He's too devoted to Lori anyways, even if she can't do much for him…"

That last remark was fairly odd.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I think you should ask her. I'll give you a hint: Lori can be very motherly with our little sisters, but actually being a mother… Well…"

She shrugs, very derisively. She has a lot of contempt stored in her heart for her sister.

"Maybe she thinks Bobby won't like a dud. And of course, I was there… And I was competition".

She stands up, probably deciding she didn't want to be there anymore. She walked in front of you, reaching for the doorknob, leaving to take a bit of fresh air.

"Lori isn't in her senses. She'll make up anything to make herself look like the victim. She might be my sister, but I can't trust her".

Just as she's about to leave, she makes one last retort.

"And you shouldn't trust her either".

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
